Carlton Audio Visual

Heard there were a few fake reviews of Carlton AV going around, so thought I'd contribute a review of an actual purchase.

I live in regional Victoria and have always had hifi in my life. About a year before my purchase, I had the pleasure of demonstrating a pair of speakers from an Australian speaker manufacturer which was winding up production after several decades. Unfortunately I didn't have the finances to justify their price immediately but begun working towards a pair. I didn't want my next speakers, I wanted my last pair.

Once I had my finances in order, I reached out to the owner of the speaker business. He wasn't in a position to manufacture them anymore of course, but linked me with Rab at Carlton AV who had a demonstrator pair available, perhaps the last pair available to buy from a retail outlet.
Amidst lockdown, and only able to offer click and collect, Rab went above and beyond to accommodate my purchase and eventual acquisition. I haven't known him long, but I'd say "above and beyond" is a description which would be familiar to Rab and his team. He offered me considerable flexibility, was extremely fair on price and I appreciated the good old-fashioned banter!

Overall, buying through Carlton AV would rank in my best ever retail experiences. Not just for buying hifi, but buying anything. If I was in the market for hifi, I wouldn't hesitate to travel the 200km to their store and you shouldn't either.

People who love their jobs because really it's a hobby they get paid for. Great gear, better service.

I wanted to replace my 30-year old gear with some new equipment so contacted Carlton Audio Visual. I received some great advice over the phone during the lockdown period that helped me shape my initial ideas. When the shop opened again, I was given the opportunity to compare my old stereo against a range of new options with the help of Magnus Turner. He was very knowledgeable and an absolute pleasure to deal with. He helped me decide on some great new speakers and an amplifier, and also offered me a good deal. I would highly recommend Carlton Audio Visual and Magnus in particular.

Love these guys.always look out for the customer, even if it costs them a sale. Wish I could find more stuff to buy from them to match their levels of customer service.

It is unusual to get the kind of advice and reccommendations that turn out time after time to be accurate and well worth while-let alone the backup if any were to go wrong.its equally unusual to see such excellent installations into awkward old houses as we have benefited from

Made a few purchases over the past 8 or so years. Staff are always helpful and it’s great fun talking sound with other AV nuts. Finally completed a 5.1 set up with a couple of Monitor Audio in ceiling speakers during the depths of Covid. The Monitor Audio sub is dangerous. Keep all glass out of the house and windows boarded when cracking out the bass. See photo to have your mind blown.

Been going to CAV for over 25yrs and bought most of my components from this one store. It is reputable, friendly, down to earth and accomodating.

They have shipped my last few purchases in person and for free. Whilst they have multiple showrooms, there is never enough floor space. Rather, it is cluttered with equipments but hey I don't think anyone minds that!

Rab and his team are knowledgeable hifi buffs and shop is occasionally guarded by 2 of the cutest little dogs. What is there not to love? !

I bought my first turntable here about 4 years ago, and had great customer service back then. Fast forward to last week, I decided to upgrade my setup, and my first point of call was CAV. I spoke to Nick over the phone, discussed my options for a trade-in, and despite him advising me to sell privately (where I'd get more for my item), I actually felt like their offer was pretty fair, so I was happy to go ahead with CAV. 2 days later, I was able to collect my new turntable. All in all, the service is still great, stock is well priced and it's just nice to be able to support a local business. I'll be back soon to upgrade my speakers.

I’ve bought a Devialet phantom and was given incredible service to test and price the purchase. Following this I bought a musical fidelity amp and a pair of bookshelf speakers. The knowledge and friendliness of your staff is astounding. There were no up sells and at times down sells. This is my one stop shop because you know your craft and your attitude is one of a family. Different to simply making sales for a commission.

A much-loved institution for hi-fi in Melbourne. I’ve purchased my Legend speakers, Rega amp, Rotel CD player and Denon HEOS Link from them, as well as guided my parents to purchase a similar system from CAV. Couldn’t be happier with the service, advice and support from Rab and his team. They are knowledgeable, honest, and love what they do. I have sent several friends here and none have ever come back disappointed.

We have been dealing with Rab (Carlton Audio Visual) for almost 30years, and can genuinely say you couldn't meet a more honest and trustworthy family of audio and visual enthusiasts!
A big supporter of Australian products and world class audio visual equipment.
Tony Moore. (Formally Ambience Loudspeakers)

I have been buying gear from Carlton Audiovisual for a couple of years now. Everything I have purchased has been an outstanding product at a very reasonable price. It is a fantastic shop, and their service is exemplary. Very highly recommended!

I called them twice over two days and spoke to two different people. Both came across as very interested in my enquiry, patiently took the time to weigh the pros and cons of the turn tables I was considering and it wasn't even a direct sales enquiry. It's more important than ever to shop at bricks and mortar businesses where you can and you can't do better than CAV. Will definitely be buying through them again.

Afriggin#1 place to go. My first shopping experience there some years ago - Rega Brio3 amp paired with Aaron ATS4 speakers - not only real nice, but even nicer for the fact they set up 3 different amp/speaker combos and suggested i bring in a few of my favourite pieces of vinyl to experience the difference - heard instruments i hadn't before! A few years later my bro-in-law is wanting to expand is aural world, I tell him you gotta go here to hear, we do, it's a goddam next level experience - he walks out the door with a Naim Uniti Atom and a pair of juicy Dynaudio bookshelves - i truly thought my face was gonna melt on to floor listening to that combo. More power to ya CarltonAV!

I love what you guys are doing, keep it up. Gotta counter those fake review trolls in some way.

On repeated occasions at CAV I've received excellent service by knowledgeable staff. I'll continue to support this small business and if supporting small business is important to you, I strongly recommend CAV for all things sound and vision.

When I needed to replace the cartridge on my Rega turntable, the team at CAV made me feel welcome and took the time to share their considerable knowledge.
Despite my limited budget, I was still made to feel as welcome and informed as someone purchasing a multi-thousand-dollar system.

After visiting several other hi end Melbourne audio sellers it was a no brainer to go with the CAV team to fit out my home theatre. I brought my plans, gave them an idea of what I was after and with their knowledge and expertise we pieced together a set up that I absolutely love to this day. They were extremely helpful, patient and even brought equipment into my home theatre so I could audition how it would sound in that environment. This was before I even made a purchase. Their own audition rooms are mind blowing nonetheless.

While this was a few years back I've since returned to CAV to update my 4K player, turntable, audio rack and most recently atmos speakers.

Their passion for audio and dedication to their business comes through genuinely and effortlessly. Will happily keep returning to CAV for upgrades and new tech.

I purchased an entry level turntable some time ago from Carlton hifi. The service was exemplary. The choose was extensive and I was made to feel like a VIP despite only buying relatively inexpensive equipment.
Highly recommend you check them out.

As a long time customer of this infamous institution, I have nothing but admiration for the helpfulness and knowledge of everyone who works there. Although my purchases have been modest, they have been high quality and aided by the comprehensive advice.

I see that there have been a lot of negative reviews recently fueled by an ignorant online campaign. Please ignore the lies and hatred spewed by these idiots. My shopping experiences at CAV have always been stellar and I have felt valued as a customer every time. Still love my Chord Mojo!