By Steve Greene
This past February, Nordost was absolutely delighted to add Woodbridge Stereo/Video to our fine roster of authorized dealers. Located in Woodbridge, NJ, this NYC metro area dealership was established in 1971 and has grown steadily during the past 50 years. Their longevity in the marketplace is quite admirable having faced many challenges over the years — a devastating fire in 1978, store expansion, the birth of the custom home theater industry (along with its proliferation of numerous inexperienced/unqualified “integrators” working from the trunks of their cars), as well as several US economic downturns. However, these challenges ultimately made Woodbridge Stereo/Video stronger and more dedicated to adhering to their core, guiding philosophy: consumer electronics should be a fun labor of love, focused on the music and the technology behind it. This was their guiding principle back in 1971 and it remains just as important to them today!
Tom Altobelli joined this company in 1980 and began its expansion into high end audio. He carefully brought in many high-end audio lines that met his high standards. They were lines that paid careful allegiance to the accurate reproduction of music, and had robust build quality and longevity in the marketplace. This growth and adherence to superior music reproduction continues today! These folks intimately know (and love) the gear they sell to their legion of dedicated customers. In addition to their two channel audio offerings, Woodbridge offers a wonderful array of custom home theaters and home automation services. These services run the gamut from the initial design stage all the way through installation, all done in-house. They are dedicated to competently building robust yet easy to use systems. Custom designed for each individual client, these services include lighting control, distributed audio, home networks, motorized window shades, HVAC and so on.
However, that does not mean they have minimized their dedication to putting together awesome home audio systems for their loyal clients. After all, this was their first true love that guided them 50 years ago when opening this wonderful retail environment. Woodbridge S/V has several well appointed and acoustically treated sound rooms in which to demo the fine gear they offer. Brands like Mark Levinson, Revel, KEF, Hegel, JL Audio, Krell, Martin Logan, Moon, Prima Luna, Sony, Totem, VPI, Thorens, Music Hall and many more, now including, of course, Nordost!
No stuffy salespeople here either! Tom and his dedicated staff are just about the friendliest and most passionate group of folks you will ever meet. Tom’s vast knowledge of this industry, honed over a forty year plus period, is second to none. This passion and expertise for putting together great sounding audio systems for his clients is based on one major premise — everyone is different, so throw out the cookie cutter formula. Getting to know each client individually is paramount to building a unique system that satisfies their needs and tastes.
You will greatly enjoy a visit to Woodbridge Stereo/Video because they love what they do and they love their clients! Next time you are in the area, please drop by to get a demonstration of Nordost products from a very talented group of individuals who will make you feel at home and help engage you in this wonderful hobby we call high performance audio!