Smash and Grab at High end Store in San Francisco


Was in our local paper that at 4am this morning, a large vehicle drove through the front of an audio store to conduct a smash and grab.

I've heard that the store was Audio Vision SF, which sells Audio Research and other high end brands.

The story said the store sustained 100k in structural damages, but no word on what inventory was taken.
128x128justlisten
Another smash and grab in SF early this morning, at Music Lovers, for the second time, they sold the stolen goods here at AG last time:

http://abc7news.com/news/sf-police-investigate-smash-and-grab-at-music-lovers/543624/
Driving a vehicle though and into a high-end store front has been happening in downtown Chicago for a few years now... so much so that some store owners have reverted to installing barriers at their curbside. What the thrives do is crash the store front with one stolen car... while a trailing stolen car pulls up to transport the thieves away.
There were 7 similar thefts in the Bay Area (using a vehicle to smash and grab) so it seems we have some rather brazen a**holes. An audio store, a camera store, a Wells Fargo museum, etc.

Now this with Audeze really hits home. I'll never lose my gallows humor (my first post) but I've always hated thieves and wish them the worse life has to offer.

All the best,
Nonoise
I have been professing that audio is dead the last couple of years. With these recent break-ins of 3 high-end audio places maybe audio is making a comeback. You don't steal things no one wants.
Audeze posted over on Audio Asylum earlier that the thieves made off with $250,000 worth of headphones.
It just happened to Audeze yesterday, so be on guard for really good deals on Audeze headphones as you might wind up being uh, complicit.
That sucks for them. I went there several years ago when I was in town…very nice guys.
Tough crowd here.

$10k is a drop in the bucket considering all the damage they did to get into the store.
$10K worth of stuff stolen. The store owners say a High Fidelity 0.5 meter digital cable, an Audio Magic Fuse and a couple of Shun Mook Mpingo discs are missing.
Yes, this is Audio Vision. I have speakers on order there.

The front of the store is a small lobby area and desk etc. it's also where the wall of headphones and a Woo and Simaudio Headphone amp is and perhaps other amps. Further back and down the hall are the listening rooms and the halls are loaded with demo and trade-in speakers. Where the truck slammed in would have been the lobby area where cans and headphone amps are. I would bet that was the grab and not the gear down the hallways. My guess,,,

Thieves suck!!!
The insurance company and store owner are now battling over damages. The insurance company states that the equipment stolen is only worth 25% of what the store owner paid.

The store owner did not have a chance in hell after the adjuster drove off in a 80k Mercedes.
Did anyone determine whether the remaining stock sounded better or is an A/B test needed by driving another truck into the store?
I heard the thief was an audiophile who was suffering from upgraditus left unchecked for several months.
A further update, that the estimated loss of inventory was about $10k

That would mean they got away with a pair of thick and fancy speaker cables.
I have never heard of anyone breaking into a high end audio store. I thought we were under the radar.
One can't help wondering if any high end cables were stolen or were the thieves skeptics.