Audio Advice said Monday that it's buying ZoboTV, in a merger of two of the area's top-of-the-line audio/video stores.
Both of the retailers focus on selling and installing upscale home electronics, such as huge TVs, custom sound systems and systems that let you control your house's lights and security from an iPad.
Audio Advice, which is headquartered in Raleigh, didn't disclose the terms of the sale. The 33-year-old company has a showroom in Raleigh and opened a Pineville location last year in the old Tweeter building near Carolina Place mall. ZoboTV has a store near SouthPark mall, on Sharon Road.
The combined company will have about 65 audio/video experts to help customers sort through the sinewy tangles of wires that come with the territory, executives said. Jay Faison, founder and president of ZoboTV, said the sale will let him focus on SnapAV, an audio/video supply company he also founded.
Both stores will remain open with their present staff, said Audio Advice executives. "With the most innovative home electronics offering and the best system consultants and installation technicians in the Carolinas, we believe this combination is going to benefit customers from Charlotte to Raleigh,” Audio Advice president Scott Newnam said in a statement.
Customers will have a greater selection of items at both stores in Charlotte, executives said.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
High-end audio/video stores combine
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6 comments:
Great company with great service...highly recommend if you are looking for audiophile grade equipment...
this company had a store in northlake. it was open for a very short time when it was burglarized/trashed, and subsequently closed. no one misses it.
The couple of times I was in the N. Lake Zobo.TV store, I found them to only have the middle-of-the road and one or two upper-middle-of-the-road.
Certainly no "high-end" products that one would expect in a high-end shop.
These were two companies in deep trouble who merged out of desperation. Zobo only sold and repaired their own proprietary equipment. Audio Advice over charged for services and equipment to the point of being ridiculous. Better management and customer service would go a long way in aiding this new company, but i wouldn't count on it.
As others have said, neither of these places are what you would call a "high-end" A/V store. Charlotte hasn't had one of those in a very long time. Middle of the road products, at very high prices.
Obviously you haven't been in Audio Advice. They have products for all budgets, including the very high-end lines such as Wilson Audio and Audio Research. Zobo, on the other hand, is known for shoddy products and bad service. Not sure why Audio Advice thought associating themselves with Zobo was a good idea.
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