Begun in the early-1970s as a buyer/seller of used hifi components Q Audio operated as a mail-order business through the classified ads section in the back of Audio Magazine.
In the mid-1970s Q Audio was warehousing its inventory of vintage & hi-end equipment in the original Tech HiFi store at 95 Vassar Street in Cambridge. In the late-1970s the business was still mail-order only and focused on exporting American and European hand-crafted, classic, vacuum tube components to the collectors' market in Japan, Asia, and Europe. In early Fall 1980 the Vassar Street storage room was converted back into a retail store and we opened for business selling pre-owned equipment. With the rapidly changing market and Q Audio's proximity to local colleges & universities several brands of new equipment were added to the used product line-up with Hafler amplifier kits selling briskly to MIT students.
In 1982 Krell from Dan D'Agostino was added for high-end electronics and Pyramid Loudspeakers from the legendary designer Dick Sequerra.
Late in October 1982 Q Audio went to Tokyo Audio Show Fair and brought back the very first CD Players to the US for resale. We bought classified ads in New York Times to announce this.
From that very moment our tiny, little store burst with activity around the digital audio revolution and we grew with it. We added product lines galore, we expanded our hours of operation, remaining open six days a week and we hired five full-time employees to work in that one small showroom on a side street in Cambridge. The rest is history.
Once the world's smallest Hi-Fi store ... Q Audio needed more space. In October 2013 we moved to a new, larger storefront at 5 Brookline Street, Central Square, Cambridge directly across from the Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub. Only a 5 minute walk up Mass Ave. from the original location this area is bustling with activity and development. We hope you’ll drop by soon and experience it for yourself.
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Q Audio is located at
5 Brookline St
Cambridge, MA 02139
Directly across from the Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub. Drive & park nearby at the Green Street Public Parking Garage or take the Red Line to the Central Square T stop. We are also just a short walk from the buses 1, 47, 64 ,70, 70A, and CT1.
If our regular hours are not convenient for you please email or call us and we will arrange a special time and appointment for you.
We are available via phone from 10AM-7PM everyday!
Call (617) 547-2727
Need help connecting or installing your AV system?
We can do it for you at affordable prices. Call 617.547.2727 for details and to schedule an in-home appointment.
We provide custom installation at affordable prices for your home or business. Call us at 617-547-2727. Whatever you do, and however you do it, contact us first. Our goal is to ensure you get only the finest quality service at superb prices.
Yes, we do repairs We specialize in Anthem, Adcom, Arcam, NAD, McIntosh, Onkyo, Denon, Sony, Rega, Unison Research , Thorens, Dual, and many others.
Looking for a reliable, local dealer to repair that malfunctioning amplifier, replace a speaker's woofer/tweeter or someone to resurrect that old turntable? Look no further than Q Audio. Need a new phonograph cartridge installed? Is your CD player skipping? Not sure whether to repair or replace?
Bring us your items for service anytime during business hours and we'll provide you with a repair estimate, normally within 3-5 business days. A diagnostic fee of $100 (first hour of work) per item is payable when you drop it off and is applicable to your approved repair. The diagnostic fee is non-refundable. Services performed are warranted for 90 days parts and labor.
Please always call (617) 547-2727 for appointment before coming in with units!
Please note that we repair traditional audio components only. We do not service items that cost more to repair than they cost to replace or purchase new. Many categories of sound products are manufactured in a manner that allows them to be sold very inexpensively, but makes no allowance for them to be repaired. For example, the injection-mold plastic chassis mini speaker that comes as part of a $99 5-piece micro system.
We do not service Bose and Beats headphones, suitcase like turntables and all in one systems. (like Crosley)
We have a random answer. Go ahead.
Call us at 617-547-2727
We accept orders by phone or email. Please Call: 617-547-2727
Please email: info@qaudio.com
We accept: Debit/MasterCard/VISA/Discover/AMEX/ApplePay/PaypalSimply provide us (via email or phone) with your:
Name as it appears on your charge card
Billing address where card statements are sent
Ship to Address if different
Home and work telephone numbers
Call us (for security do not email) with:
Card number and expiration date
V-code (security code on back of card)
