Many of the people who come to Alma for the first time haven't bought a stereo since college. There was one once — a receiver, a pair of bookshelf speakers, a turntable — and then work and family filled the calendar, and music moved to a laptop or a soundbar. Then a room opens up, or a box of records comes out of the closet, and the idea of doing it properly comes back.
That's a conversation we have often. This page is what we'd tell you before you walk in: how a first visit goes, what to bring, the handful of words that come up, and what we'll ask you.
How a first visit works
- You come in. Drop-ins are welcome Monday through Saturday, 10am to 7pm, at either showroom.
- We ask what you listen to, and where you'd be listening. The room matters more than most people expect, so that comes up early.
- We play music in one of the dedicated listening rooms, with the equipment set up the way it's meant to be used.
- We talk about what you heard — what worked, what you'd want more of. Then you go home and think about it. Decisions can wait.
If there's a particular system you want playing when you arrive, call ahead and we'll have it set up and warmed up.
Bring a few songs you know well
Three or four pieces of music you've heard hundreds of times will tell you more than anything we could choose for you. Bring a record or a CD, or just a list of what you want to hear and we'll pull it up. The point is to find out what a system does with the music you actually play.
Most of the names will be new
We carry 55 brands. Technics and Thorens are probably familiar. Accuphase, Nagra, Boenicke Audio, Stenheim, MSB Technology, YG Acoustics and FM Acoustics are usually new names, and that's normal — most of them are small companies building in low volume. Part of the reason to visit is to hear them. You're welcome to read about all of them on the brands page, or to arrive knowing none of them.
The words that come up
There are about six, and they're simpler than they sound.
- Speakers — the part that makes the sound. Most of what you hear is decided by the speakers and the room they're in.
- Amplifier — what drives the speakers. An integrated amplifier puts the volume control and the power in one box; separates split those into two.
- Source — where the music comes from: a turntable, a CD player, or a streamer that plays from the internet or a hard drive.
- DAC — short for digital-to-analog converter. It turns a digital file into a signal an amplifier can use. Sometimes it's built into the streamer or the amplifier, sometimes it's its own box.
- Phono stage — the small amplifier a turntable needs before the signal reaches everything else. Built into some amplifiers, separate on others.
- Cables and power — the connections between all of it, and the electricity feeding it.
That's most of the vocabulary. The rest is detail, and we can go through as much or as little of it as you want.
What we'll ask you
The first questions are about you rather than about equipment.
- What do you listen to, and how do you listen to it now?
- What room would this live in, and what else is in that room?
- Is there a system you've had or heard somewhere that stayed with you?
- What would you like this to do — fill a room when people are over, or hold your attention in one chair on a Sunday afternoon?
"I'm not sure yet" is a normal answer to any of these, and a useful one. It's where most first conversations start.
What it costs
Systems here cover a wide range, and we work with most budgets. The useful answer comes once we know the room and the music — tell us what you have in mind and we'll take it from there.
Two things worth knowing early. Equipment you already own may go toward what comes next — we take trade-ins against upgrades. And financing is available through Synchrony, arranged by phone or email.
Some of what we sell is pre-owned or demonstration equipment, listed on the site.
Where we are
Two showrooms, one on each coast. Both are built around dedicated listening rooms rather than a retail floor.
- Alma West — 8250 Vickers St., Suite C, San Diego, CA 92111 — (619) 243-6615
- Alma East — 21620 Ridgetop Cir., Suite 130, Sterling, VA 20166 — (619) 243-4924
Both open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 7pm. Drop-ins are welcome during those hours. For a longer listening session — particularly with the larger loudspeakers and amplifiers — call ahead so we can have the system set up and warmed up when you arrive.
Or start with a question
Send a note through the contact page, or call either showroom. Tell us roughly what you're thinking about and we'll work from there. Alma has been doing this since 2015, and most first conversations start with a basic question.
- The brands we carry
- Pre-owned and demonstration equipment
- Financing
- Custom home audio design, if a room is being built or renovated