Decibel Audio Inc.

Decibel Audio Inc. We are a retail store and custom installation business in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. Welcome to deciBel Audio, Chicago.

We have serviced the Chicagoland area with new, used and vintage home and commercial audio and video equipment for nearly 30 years. We deal in new and used hi-fi and video. Authorized Dealer for: Audioengine, Audio Intelligent, Audio Physic, Audio Technica, Audioquest, BDI Furniture, Benz Micro, Cambridge Audio, Canton, Cary Audio Design, Clearaudio, Creek, Crestron, Dali Loudspeakers, Denon, Drap

er Screens, Epos, Goldring , Grado, Harbeth, Music Hall, JA Michell turntables, James Loudspeaker, KEF, Marantz, Mirage, Monster Cable, Parasound, Plateau, Pro-Ject, PS Audio, Richard Gray's Power Company, Rogue Audio, Roksan, Russound, Scandyna Minipods, Sonos, Sota Turntables, Stewart Filmscreen, Samsung, Snell, Target, Usher, and more.

The Proac D48 R comes from a long line of floorstanding speakers dating back to the early 90s with each generation an im...
09/04/2026

The Proac D48 R comes from a long line of floorstanding speakers dating back to the early 90s with each generation an improvement on the last.

These speakers look beautiful in mahogany, and the sound is crazy good! We were blown away.

Their tall, slender form fills the room with detail and dynamics whilst they disappear like their famous mini monitors, but for some additional low-end weight.

ProAc does a better job at integrating the ribbon tweeter than most manufacturers who have attempted it. High frequency extension is tasteful and resolving without being harsh, forward, or fatiguing.

* two-way system floor-standing loudspeaker
* bitumen-dampened MDF cabinet
* down firing bass-reflex port terminates into plinth
* lightweight ribbon tweeter with rear damping
twin 165mm (6.5") coated impregnated woofers
* 20Hz-30kHz frequency response
* 4 ohm nominal impedance
* 90dB sensitivity
* 10 watt min, 250 watt max continuous
* 86 lbs each
* (47") H, (8.3") W, (13.5") D

They will come with their set-up guide and floor-spike set.

Retail : $10,900

We are asking: $5,999

For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us: 773-862-6700 /
[email protected]

If you have audio equipment that you would like to sell, trade, or consign, please email us.

The Bel Canto e.ONE Stream is a high-performance asynchronous network bridge and streamer designed to connect your home ...
09/01/2026

The Bel Canto e.ONE Stream is a high-performance asynchronous network bridge and streamer designed to connect your home network LAN and streaming services to an existing high-end DAC or preamp.

Described as an interface between your network, your audio system, your services, and local sound libraries, it also reclocks the signal on input in pursuit of ultra-low Jitter.

With its on-board DAC and RCA outputs, as well as a host of digital outputs, it is ready to be directly connected to an analog preamp or to an external DAC.

We recently had the matching Bel Canto DAC in the shop which would have been nice to hear together, but we thought the e.ONE Stream sounded clean, with no added coloration or bass extension, and just enough information on the low-profile screen.

It also sounded great as a streaming transport through some of our external DACs.

* Streaming & Services : Built-in support for Tidal, Qobuz, v tuner, personal NAS libraries, and acts as a certified Roon end-point.

* Clocking & Jitter : Utilizes ultra-low phase noise master clocks and asynchronous architecture to re-clock data and isolate audio signals from network noise.

* File Support : Handles PCM and resolution up to 24/192, DSD64 (DoP), and MQA core decoding/rendering.

* Connectivity : Features RCA analog and the following digital outputs (AES, SPDIF, TOSLINK) capped at 24/192, plus a USB-A port for connecting external drives containing music libraries.

* Control : Managed by the custom Bel Canto SEEK iOS app or UPnP/DLNA controllers.

This nice. compact, well-built streamer will come with it's manual and power cord.

We are asking $449

For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us: 773-862-6700 /
[email protected]

If you have audio equipment that you would like to sell, trade, or consign, please email us.

09/01/2026

KEF Q1 Meta speakers are on sale from $699.99 to $399.99 for a limited time.

Take advantage of this excellent price for a great little pair of speakers. These are one of our best sellers, and probably one of KEF's as well.

They are available in black, white, and walnut, and come with their grilles.

For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us: 773-862-6700 /
[email protected]

If you have audio equipment that you would like to sell, trade, or consign, please email us.

08/29/2026

L/R X has been named Best Wireless Bookshelf Loudspeakers 2026-2027 at the EISA Awards.

EISA is one of the most respected awards in audio, judged by an expert jury drawn from hi-fi and AV publications across Europe and beyond.

As our first ever range of active stereo speakers, that means a lot to us. We set out to put a complete hi-fi system into two cabinets without compromising on the scale, detail and presence that make separates worth owning.

It took a huge team effort, with our acoustics, electronics, industrial design and software teams working tirelessly to get it all right. This award belongs to them.

Thank you to everyone who has listened to L/R X, written about them and enjoyed them since launch.

We recently posted about the incredible dCS Scarlatti SACD/CD Transport. Many audiophiles consider dCS converters to be ...
08/29/2026

We recently posted about the incredible dCS Scarlatti SACD/CD Transport. 

Many audiophiles consider dCS converters to be the finest digital processors that money can buy. We have two of them and while they are older DACs, we have to say they have to be the closest thing to analog we have heard in a digital system both in the smoothness of the highs and in the low frequency extension.

Developed by dCS, the Ring DAC technology is unique to every other 3rd party chip used by other companies. Their process claimed to be the first true 24-bit performance on the consumer market. They were also responsible for bringing upsampling to the masses.

The dCS Delius can upconvert virtually any digital consumer audio data stream. It accepts DSD and upsampled "Red Book" data at its own 1394 jack, and provides RCA, BNC, XLR, and Toslink connectors.

The Delius can receive word clock or provide master word clock and can be used as a fixed DAC or as a digital preamp straight into an amplifier.

Retail was $8 to $10k depending on the options.

We are asking $1,249

The dCS Elgar Plus DAC uses the same proprietary Ring DAC and also offers DSD decoding and slaves to word clock or can act as master. It improves on the Delius 24/96 decoding to 24/192 and can decode 24/96 DAD discs.

The Elgar Plus DAC comes with the optional marble top plate and remote which retailed for $15,499

We are asking $1,899 w/ remote

Firmware upgradeable.
Digital volume and balance control.
Includes a remote.

Inputs: Dual AES/EBU XLR, BNC, Toslink, Word clock (I/O) SP-DIF, DSD, IEEE1394 (I/O)

Outputs: XLR balanced, RCA, S-DIF 2,
Word clock

Each DAC will come with a 5' Pangea AC-9SE power cord.

For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us: 773-862-6700 /
[email protected] 

If you have audio equipment that you would like to sell, trade, or consign, please email us. 

The PSB Passif 50 is their 50th-anniversary stand-mount loudspeaker blending vintage 1970s aesthetics with modern acoust...
08/28/2026

The PSB Passif 50 is their 50th-anniversary stand-mount loudspeaker blending vintage 1970s aesthetics with modern acoustic technology.

We are super psyched to have these in for our customers to demo. They look and sound fantastic.

Retro Style: Features an open-grained walnut veneer cabinet and magnetically attached woven cloth grilles with a vintage 50th-anniversary pull tab.

Mirror-Imaged Pairs: Uses an off-center tweeter configuration, meaning the speakers are sold as dedicated left and right pairs to optimize the soundstage and imaging.

Dedicated Stands: Comes with custom short stands designed to angle the speakers slightly upward, aiming the tweeters at ear height for typical seating positions (7 to 9 feet away).

Acoustic Specifications:

Two-Way System: Equipped with a 1-inch titanium dome tweeter (with ferrofluid damping and a neodymium magnet), a 6.5-inch paper cone woofer, and an 8-inch passive radiator.

Frequency Response: 50 Hz – 20,000 Hz (on-axis) with low-frequency cutoff reaching down to 30 Hz (-10 dB).

Sensitivity & Impedance: Rated at 89 dB sensitivity and a nominal 6 ohms impedance.

Power Handling: Recommended amplifier power ranges from 30 to 200 Watts.

Connectivity: Rear panel features five-way dual binding posts that support bi-wiring or bi-amping.!

For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us: 773-862-6700 /
[email protected]

If you have audio equipment that you would like to sell, trade, or consign, please email us.

The dCS Scarlatti CD/SACD Transport is a legendary, state-of-the-art, flagship CD transport, and is revered for its stag...
08/26/2026

The dCS Scarlatti CD/SACD Transport is a legendary, state-of-the-art, flagship CD transport, and is revered for its staggering detail retrieval and fluid, analog-like presentation, it remains a premier standard in high-end audio and is considered to be one of the best CD transports ever made. In fact, it may be one of the best pieces that we have ever had in the shop.

dCS gear brings the analog virtues of timbre, texture, and spatiality into the digital realm.

The dCS Scarlatti Transport was part of the modular and higly configurable Scarlatti system stack consisting of a separate transport, DAC, upsampler, and master clock.

The transport upsamples Red Book CDs to DSD format and plays SACDs in their native format.

It's top-end and transient responses were as pure, clean, and natural as we've heard from any digital component. Greater realism is absolutely the key that set the Scarlatti apart from every other CD player of it's day.

Formats Supported: CD, SACD, and external digital audio streams.

Outputs : IEEE 1394 (FireWire), Dual AES/EBU (XLR), SPDIF (Toslink), Coax, SPDIF-2 (BNC), BNC Word Clock Sync

Clocking: Highly accurate multi-stage Phase-Locked-Loop (PLL) system.

Recently Serviced by Stereo Rehab.

Service (common to these units) completed: 

Seized disc spindle elevator completely removed and separated, both shafts polished and sleeve nylon honed, both shafts properly oiled (synthetic) and returned to proper operation; optical pickup sleds oiled (synthetic); drawer rails oiled (synthetic). Operating as designed.

Retail was $32,999

We are asking $5,699

Ask us about the two fantastic dCS DAC units that we have from the same era:
The dCS Delius and dCS Elgar Plus.

For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us: 773-862-6700 / 

[email protected] 

If you have audio equipment that you would like to sell, trade, or consign, please email us.

decibelaudioinc

At Decibel Audio we like to come up with cool starter systems for people. This neat little setup includes a vintage gem....
08/24/2026

At Decibel Audio we like to come up with cool starter systems for people.

This neat little setup includes a vintage gem.

The 13 watt-per-channel 1970 Kenwood/Trio KA-2002 integrated amp was a popular first move up from all-in-one record players and radiograms towards proper HiFi.

It was an inexpensive option that was the frequent choice for enthusiasts taking their first steps toward serious listening.

Branded Trio in Europe to differentiate themselves from the kitchen appliance manufacturing company, it was branded as Kenwood here in the U. S.

More interesting information:

https://www.octonano-elektronika.hu/l/trio-kenwood-ka-2002-integrated-amplifier/

This system includes the following:

Kenwood KA-2002 integrated amp

Technics SL-D93 turntable

Bose 2.2 speakers

* includes necessary hook-up cables

We are asking $569

For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us: 773-862-6700 /
[email protected]

If you have audio equipment that you would like to sell, trade, or consign, please email us.


Save up to $400 during the REL Serie HT Summer Home Theater sale! Take advantage of these deals while you can.Sale ends ...
08/20/2026

Save up to $400 during the REL Serie HT Summer Home Theater sale!

Take advantage of these deals while you can.

Sale ends September 9th.

REL are an excellent subwoofer company and we are proud long-time dealers. We can't recommend them enough.

For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us: 773-862-6700 /
[email protected]

If you have audio equipment that you would like to sell, trade, or consign, please email us.


Stack in Black!This Classic Carver stack is in excellent condition and includes the following components:Carver TX-10 Sy...
08/18/2026

Stack in Black!

This Classic Carver stack is in excellent condition and includes the following components:

Carver TX-10 Synthesized Tuner

Carver Model C-11 Sonic Holography High Fidelity Preamp Control Console.

Carver Model TFM-25 Magnetic Field Power Amplifier.

These are solid, flexible, quality components from Carver with a great look, especially in black.

We think this system sounds great!

We have rescued it from the early 90's and the original owner to give it new life. Just add a CD player, turntable, or streamer/DAC, and speakers.

Currently on sale from $1,099 to $899

We are also offering this system with a choice of speakers and/or source components at a discount.

For more information or to schedule a demo, please contact us: 773-862-6700 /
[email protected]

If you have audio equipment that you would like to sell, trade, or consign, please email us

Address

1429 N Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL
60622

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 7pm
Tuesday 12pm - 7pm
Wednesday 12pm - 7pm
Thursday 12pm - 7pm
Friday 12pm - 7pm

Telephone

+17738626700

Website

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