Our Story

Ideal Audio was born from a passion for British hifi. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in my father’s hifi shops ‘Hifi Studios’ in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Hanley and Stoke and inherited his interest in hifi. Spending countless hours in the shops, I remember listening to some of the finest British and Japanese HiFi. 

As I grew older, my quest for the perfect sound began and I started looking for rare and discontinued items to recreate the sounds of my childhood. Working my way through what are now considered classics, my HiFi knowledge developed and I became interested in more contemporary pieces from Europe and further afield. 

To accommodate my upgrades, I started selling used hifi components. I soon realised that I could turn my hobby into a business and so Ideal Audio began. I think of it as a hub for other audiophiles, with the mission to offer the best used hifi around, whether you are into iconic classics, contemporary makes, or niche pieces.

At the same time, I wanted Ideal Audio to be the go to place for people wanting to sell their used audio equipment, knowing that we will offer fair prices, friendly service and hassle free transactions.

Over the years, Ideal Audio has evolved from a “one man band” to become one of the leading second hand hifi specialists in the UK. Now based in Warrington, Cheshire, we have fulfilled thousands of orders of some of the best hifi around, to all corners of the world. Along the way, I have been fortunate to get my hands on the likes of Krell Audio Standard (full system), DCS Vivaldi (full system) and Wilson Benesch Chimera, to mention some of my favourites. 

As we buy the majority of our hifi from other audio enthusiasts, we feel personally connected to our customers and each unique item we come across, has its own story that we get to be part of. Not to mention everything we learn from our customers about their setups and sound preferences.

While second hand hifi is still at the core of our business we have also recently taken on new ventures, such as Replay Audio Distribution, supplying UK hifi shops with european high end brands like Atoll Electronique and Audium. But the journey doesn't end here, with more exciting news coming soon.

I hope you will enjoy Ideal Audio as much as I do.

Keep listening, music matters.

Jonty