Layton Audio has been selling sound in downtown Montreal since 1887, when two brothers opened Layton Bros as a shop for home entertainment at a time when the piano was still the centre of the parlour. As recorded and amplified audio took over through the twentieth century, the business grew into the hi-fi retailer it is now, working from a storefront on Sainte-Catherine Ouest. The focus is quality home and personal audio: speakers, amplifiers, turntables, DACs, headphones and earphones, plus televisions and accessories. Dedicated listening rooms let customers audition and compare gear before buying, and the staff lean toward long, unhurried demos over a fast sale. An in-house service side handles repairs, from re-cabling headphones to setting up turntables.