Austin Stereo Service

I bought a fresh out-​of-​the-​box Yamaha receiver last spring. BOO! It sounded cheap like an old transistor radio, thin tone, no warmth to the music. This $ 500 new receiver did not sound nearly as good as my 30-​year old one when it worked. So, I returned that tinny import and called Austin Stereo Service. I brought my 1980-​ish MCS receiver to Mike back in June to clear up the fading signal & crackling on several of the dials. Mike cleaned up the sound such that it was like new; better than that Yamaha by a mile. Mike worked his wizardry and brought that familiar warm sound back to life! Then, a few weeks later, the balance selector began to fade & crackle again on the left. A call to Mike and he said bring it by. Within 3 days, that scratchy signal & loss of balance was gone. Now it’s January 2016, and I called Mike again (as he assured me he stands by his work) because the function selector knob was now making a crackling noise. As good as his word, Mike promptly cleans that issue up and I wonder what other magic he’s performed on my receiver because it now sounds better than ever. Austin Stereo Service is not your cheapest option, nor the fastest: but if you value vintage gear that sounds better (for the repair price point) than a comparable product from Fry’s, you cannot go wrong with Mike @ Austin Stereo Service. Encourage this business by keeping your classic stereo rockin’ well into the 21^st century: thank you, Mike.

This place is the best in town, if fact it is so great that I got married here…

Austin Stereo’s owner and expert engineer, audiophile, and acoustical aficionado makes this spot the place for buying audio gear and getting Hi-​Fi repair work done. Mike repaired my 1973 Sansui receiver and as I listen to it now, I am so grateful. He saved an old friend, a family heirloom, and a sweet sounding solid state piece of history that drives my wharfdales efficiently, near perfection. The job was done on time and in budget and honestly it looks brand new [if it was 1973 again]. The passion Mike puts into his work is clear as he shared thoughts and expertise rangung from theoretical physics to Carlan to Zappa. What a cool brother! Austin Stereo, thanks for fixing my Sansui 2000x.

I’ve been twice. Once to find a receiver and the other to get my Dual 1229 fixed up. Each time I’ve been wooo’d by the service. He showed me to the right speakers for the space I had and learned me on my Dual turntable. I try to spend money there, but he has saved me hundreds just giving me advice (which I’m going to blow on albums). I’m absolutely a fan. Please spend your money here. He won’t let me… yet :]

Last year I brought an 1981 Techincs SU-​V8 Integrated Amplifier to Mike at Austin Stereo to be refurbished. Mike completely recapped all the old capacitors, cleaned, and touched up soulder hits. Once I got it back home after having it for a week I noticed that my right side output was dropping out mostly on the phono stage. I held on to it for a couple months and then brought the amp back to Mike, he opened it back up and somehow figured out the problem. I have the SU-​V8 back at home and use it as my main media center for hdtv, phono, aux inputs, and hopefully for a tuner soon if I can find one. I owe Mike a great deal of gratitude for his time and effort he put into this 37lb monster of an amp. He finally worked out the issues, and yes it took some time and patience, but I am happy to wait for a fully working amp that sounds better than it did when I first came into my possession. He does great work. Highly recommended. Thank you Mike!

Brought in an old Realistik turntable that I acquired from my father-​in-​law. It was kind of a mess — hadn’t been maintained in decades, had an imbalanced tonearm and speed issues. Austin Stereo fixed it up good as new — they even repaired the hinges on the dust cover. The repair cost was pretty reasonable for the amount of work that they did.
They were a little backlogged when we brought in the turntable (the repair took 8 weeks), but it was worth the wait. Great service from some folks who are obviously very passionate about vintage audio.

Austin Stereo rocks. Mike is a great guy. fun to talk to and he knows his stuff. I’ve had him service both of my turntables (a Thorens and a Technics), as well as recap an old Sansui receiver from the 70s. A couple of years ago, I bought a vintage Marantz 2275 from him. It sounds great, though not necessarily better than the Sansui he fixed. Bottom line: if you care about good sound and want your stuff to work well, Austin Stereo is the place to go.

Excellent and fast service. My turntable has never sounded better. It is by no means a great piece of audiophile hardware, but they treated my Technics SL-​1700 just wonderfully.
The ONLY downside is that now I’m probably going to go on a record buying spree.

I am a true audiophile and go nuts over equipment. Unfortunately some of the stuff does break down. I use to freak out when something stopped working until I met Mike at Austin Stereo Service. Mike is an engineer and loves working on vintage and tube gear.
Whether it was my 1978 Yamaha receiver or an ultra high end tube amp that costs thousands of dollars, Mike got them fixed and even had them running better than before. How? He points out cheap parts that were installed at the factory and upgrades them.
I have referred him to many people and all have walked away pleased with his service and his reasonable charges. Mike is also honest. If it’s something he knows is proprietary he urges you to send it to the manufacturer instead of attempting to fix it. Be patient though. He has a lot of work all the time. So it could be a few weeks for your repairs.

Austin Stereo Service changed my life. I went in one day with no clue about a previous record player issue and, the next day purchased my most important and prized possessions. I also went home with a new found appreciation for music just listening to Mike. And he took time to show me what I was doing. I can listen to my vinyl records on a whole new level. Going above and beyond to a different musical experience that was really worth all the hard work.

I ran across this company when I was looking for a needle for a record player. The reviews were impressive so I went down there this morning. I was in and out in 10 mins with new needle installed and the arm balanced. The service is great and the place is very friendly.

If you want to finally get a real stereo, one with authority, they can help. Yes, they know what’s what and sell awesome old school components with real power. If you need a fair repair then keep in miind that Mike is an electrical engineer. He’s fixed all kinds of stuff for me. They are extremely honest and have a great sense of humor.

These guys are jolly old-​school dudes who love to sit around and talk shop. I took in my old technics turntable for a needle. They went the extra mile to balance it, test everything and educate me on caring for it without trying to sell me anything else. A great local shop with a neighborly vibe. I will def be back when I have the cabbage to upgrade.

i bought an old stereo receiver here about 3 years ago: a beautiful 1976 harmon kardon 330b. i came in one day and asked if there was anything i could look at, and the guy held up a zip-​lock bag full of old capacitors. «just spent the afternoon fixing this one.» he proceeded to play some billie holiday to test it out, and i fell in love with the thing. what a first impression.
i’ve been coming back every few months to check out the inventory. the place is basically a museum of sound. you have to negotiate stacks of receivers, subs and turntables if you want to get a closer look at anything on the shelves. and there’s always some ridiculously grandiose dream hi-​fi system set up by the front window playing wonderful music on godzilla speakers.
i came in today to have him look at my turntable and he tweaked it for me for free in less than 2 minutes. great service

I went here the other day for a new needle for my turntable. It was quick, easy and the price was right. Mike also adjusted the speed of my turntable. He was easy going and helpful

Absolutely awesome service.
I walked in off the street with a powered speaker that needed a volume pot cleaning. He put it right up on the workbench in the storefront, opened it up, cleaned the pot, tested it, and put it back together while I waited, watched, and learned.
I had gone to Bond’s the day before (my unfavorable review of Bond’s is on their page) and was asked to pay $ 50 minimum in advance and warned (before a Bond’s tech even looked at it) that the pot would likely need to be changed for more money and more time (at least two weeks).
Austin Stereo Service not only did the work for a fraction of just the price that Bond’s wanted as an up-​front minimum, but I got to go home with my working speaker.
It’s just really great when you get this kind of service. I’d give them more than five stars if I could.
I’m not an audiophile, but if I ever need a home audio setup, I’m going vintage, and I’m going to Austin Stereo Service for it. I know that whatever I buy from these guys, I’ll inevitably get great service.

Old school sounds !! bring your 8 tracks

So, I have a talent for finding hobbies and collecting things that are semi-​obscure, semi-​pointless, semi-​expensive, and with repairs needed that are semi-​beyond my skill and knowledge levels.
Now I’ve discovered vintage audio equipment. So AWESOME! I have bought a few pieces from various sources, none of them acquired in «sound» condition.
I am currently auditioning stereo repair shops to regularly siphon my checking account (since I seem to be unable to stop buying receivers from the 70s. Um, how many can I listen to at once?), and Austin Stereo Service I think just landed the job.
I brought my Bose 360 turntable in for an overhaul, and they recognized it right away as a Bose-​branded Pioneer PL-​12. Then the guy gave me (off the top of his head, mind you) the Pioneer parts telephone number so I could buy some of the easier-​to-​install parts myself.
It’s just two guys with ponytails and Egon Spengler double glasses in a room filled with speakers, receivers, amps, equalizers, and turntables who love to work on stereos and talk about them.
Oh, and some really clear, warm, well-​defined, lush classical music emanated from some fantastic pieces somewhere in there.

I thought I was going to have to plunk down 300 bones for a new sub-​woofer when mine died. I’m glad I decided to see how much it would cost to repair it first. For just over 100 bucks, these guys not only fixed it but they replaced some of the components in the sub with some other more reliable (and new) parts. These guys definitely know their stuff. Not much for looks or personality, but please tell me if you know any electrical engineering/​stereo-​geek types that are.

If you have an old turntable, receiver, reel to reel deck or speakers this is THE place to take them to get repaired. They offer a 90 guarantee on all work. They are not the fastest, but they do a good job.