Sonic Boom

Sonic Boom is a useful first stop when the shopping list runs across formats. Its two-storey Spadina shop gives CDs proper space alongside new and used vinyl, rather than treating them as an afterthought. The distinction between its website and physical inventory matters: much of the secondhand stock is available only in the shop, so an online search cannot substitute for a browse. The business began in the Annex in 2001, passed through Honest Ed's, and settled into this Chinatown building. That history explains why people still refer to several different Sonic Boom locations.

New releases and reissues on vinyl, used LPs, new and used CDs, and cassettes. Used stock changes with incoming collections; the website concentrates on a different slice of inventory.

Sonic Boom buys records and CDs subject to condition and demand. Bring government-issued photo identification. Read its format restrictions before packing a collection, and contact the buyer about larger quantities or a possible house call.

215 Spadina Avenue, just north of Queen. From Queen and Spadina, walk north to the Robertson Building. The official visitor page lists parking options on Sullivan and near Spadina and Dundas.

Pair this with Invisible City across Spadina for a much smaller, DJ-oriented selection, then continue south to Kops on Queen. Give the used CD section its own pass before moving on.