If you want an expert working on your vintage gear with a straightforward approach and kind…read moredemeanor, Howard is your man. I wouldn't take my gear anywhere else. Old school service with extraordinary experience and reasonable rates.

So I bought a used analog receiver, amplifier, tuner, and equalizer. After getting it up and was…read moreready to crank this mother up until I heard the click and pop... dang it *%!& Doing my due diligence I looked for a reliable repair shop. Thankfully I found Audio Specialist (Howard) ! He was straight with me ,said how long and what I was to expect time wise. It took a couple weeks, not many specialists like these guys around anymore, and it was definitely worth the wait! And the money. ( very reasonable) Got my stereo home and the sound and power from the amp, is incredible. Going back to buy a turntable as well. . It's like finding a great auto mechanic, you want to let people know. Go see Audio Speciast and Howard .

What a fun surprise. I found Randy and his amazing little shop online. We drove up from Huntington…read moreBeach, wow, did it ever end up being worth the drive. My wife and I met Randy and both immediately liked him. He sat there on the couch listening while Randy put on an absolute clinic. We learned a lot about turn tables and saw options from 500 to 225000 dollars ...and everything in between. We got to talking about things he had in stock and that's when we came across the VPI HW-40 anniversary. Number 62 of 400. I immediately fell in love. We agreed on a price and I was off with my new rig. I am blown away by how great this thing sounds. A nice benefit of dealing with a pro like Randy is that it was all set up and ready to go. I'm already back in contact discussing phono stage options. Do yourself a favor and check his shop out. You'll be glad you did.

Randy is the man! Well over a decade ago, I stumbled into his store, armed with little spending…read morepower. I knew I wanted some Vandersteens. I ended up with some 2ce Signatures. While there, he took the time to explain all of the things that make Vandersteen's special. He even played the state-of-the-art Model 5's from back then. As a budding audio geek I was floored. Fast forward to 2018. Randy's kindness and expertise still stuck in my mind, I returned to his Santa Monica shop. This time, I was ready for the whole-enchilada! 5A Carbons, AR amp and pre amp, Basis table. The works. Randy set them up perfectly and I can't thank him enough. Randy and his team are the real deal. Highly recommended.

Scott is very knowledgeable and experienced in providing the…read moretop of the line sound system for your home or commercial space. I had him install the sound system on my 2700 square foot jiu jitsu studio, and entire process was a breeze and I am delighted with the results. Our music definitely sounds better than any other gym l've been to!

Scott and Frank are great at what they do. I contracted with Scott to help me clean up my…read moreantiquated whole home entertainment system. With the help of Frank, he deleted a bunch of old cables and cleaned up my server rack. He also got all my TVs connected and synced. I'd recommend these guys any day

Bob did a great job repairing my Pioneer mixer, quick and reliable, excellent communication, price…read morelooked fair to me, I would definitely recommend.

Best place for DJ equipment repair. Prices are fair and he's always done faster than expected so I…read morecan get back to gigging. Easy to work with and all my issues were resolved.

Protect Victor at all costs. This guy *offered to come out to my house* to do a routine checkup on…read moremy turntable. He diligently checked everything, found it to be in perfectly fine working order that didn't require service, and didn't even charge me for his time. Super nice, non-judgmental gentleman -- unbelievably rare in the generally weird, snooty world of hi-fi audio. PS When I'm ready to make a component purchase, I'm going to Definition based solely on my interaction with this guy. This is why customer service matters!

Great customer service at a very fair prices. I inherited a Control4 system from the previous…read moreowner of my place. I hated that system. Not just because it is archaic but more importantly, every little thing I need fix (tune) required me to call my dealer who charges an arm and a leg. One day, all my speakers died, so I called my dealer, and they wanted my first born. So I decided to venture out and I found Definition AV. 1st, their service call price is very reasonable. They diagnosed the problem (the Amp died) surgically, but what's great about them is that they asked a lot of questions to truly understand my use cases. They recommended me to switch half of my system to SONOs and leave my living room TV's 5.1 audio system alone since it was still working. My previous dealer would had never recommended that because SONOs is more DIY and they would not be able to charge as much service money. Before they left, they even tuned up my 5.1 system just because they found some misconfigurations on they way. It sounded WAY better. I got the quote, the price is very reasonable and they came out quickly and upgraded my system. Now, my system works way better and I can use my voice control (my main method of controlling everything else in the house) to activate any speakers or speaker groups. I'll be a returning customer!

Greg fixed a solidstate Vox that I got from Jeff Beck's last guitar tech. He's a genius!read more

Greg restored sunn beta bass that was unrepairable according to another tech. The value of the…read moreservice felt right and his level of experience is definitely there.

This review is far overdue. To cut to the chase, Ian (the owner), Jesus, and Brian are exceptional…read more A special shout out goes to Brian for spending so much time with me until we had the right system picked out. I was recently gifted a record player which had me scrambling for some new gear. It had been a very long time since I had taken a stroll down HiFi audio lane. I popped into Audio Element mainly to see what brands they carried. I initially felt a bit timid since I could tell that they carried some really high end stuff. I instantly felt like this shop was out of my league. However, Brian warmly greeted me and quickly made me feel at home with his exceptional hospitality. As he showed me around the shop and answered some of my questions, Jesus was also very helpful in contributing wherever he could. Brian demo'ed various setups for me based on the sound signature I was going for as well as on the description I had provided of my listening area. The specially curated setups he showed me sounded phenomenal. He was also extremely knowledgeable. Knowing that I was about to drop some serious dough, and also knowing how much of a methodical person I am, I thanked both of them and told them that I was going to go home to make some decisions and that they would likely see me again. When I did eventually return to the shop, I was happy to see Brian again. Having done some research at home, I went in convinced knowing what I wanted. I had made some personal tweaks to some of the equipment I had really enjoyed on my previous visit. These tweaks were mainly upgrades of the same model line of equipment. As we got to talking, Brian made me aware of some new speakers they had recently received that he thought I might like. He offered to hook them up for me and if I didn't like them, no harm no foul and I could stick with the original setup I had chosen. OH MAN! I immediately fell in love with the new speakers and integrated amp combo he setup for me. I knew I needed this to come home with me. I got a killer deal and I could not be happier. Ian (the owner) happened to be at the store that night and he made sure that everything went smooth. One thing I'll never forget is how Brian made me feel when I realized that I had accidentally kept the staff after hours; not realizing that the store had already closed. While I felt bad, I couldn't help but notice that in the excitement of helping me pick out my system, it seemed like the staff had also lost track of time just as I had lol! I apologized to Brian and he quickly told me not to worry about that and reassured me that they were there to make sure that I was truly happy with my new setup. At the end of it all, the entire staff even helped lug all the equipment to my car. Fast forward several months later, and this has become a new hobby of mine. I love my setup so much that I listen to records every night before bed. When I'm not listening to records, I'm streaming on the bluesound node icon. Ian, Jesus, and especially Brian, you guys are a very special bunch. Thanks again and I hope to see you in the not so distant future.

5 stars! Huge…read moreshoutout to Jesus and Brian. I recently went to a friend's house for a hi-fi listening session, and when I came home and turned on my own system, I realized something had to change. After a deep dive of research, I landed on the Wharfedale Lintons, and Audio Element was the only place where I could actually hear them in person. Brian was incredibly helpful and patient as my wife and I worked through some favorite tracks to make sure they were the right fit. Needless to say, we walked out with the Lintons. Once we got them home, it quickly became clear our amp wasn't up to the task. More research led us to the perfect pairing: a Rega. Jesus happened to have exactly what we needed and was kind enough to hold it while we rushed down to grab it. The result? Spine-tingling, goosebump-inducing fun listening to music again. Our system finally feels alive. The service here is top-notch. They genuinely listen, guide you without pressure, and clearly care about helping you find the right setup. Safe to say, Audio Element is now my go-to for all things hi-fi.

I recently visited Common Wave Hi-Fi in LA, and my experience was absolutely fantastic. Wes and…read moreDmitry are true professionals--incredibly friendly, welcoming, and equipped with an extreme wealth of knowledge regarding hi-fi equipment, system synergy, and proper setup. They generously spent a significant amount of time with me, allowing me to audition various systems, including multiple versions of the DeVore speakers I was interested in. What truly stood out was the completely pressure-free environment. There was zero rush to buy or make any decisions on the spot; their primary goal was simply to help me find the right sound. I eventually purchased my beautiful DeVore O/96 speakers from them, and the entire process was a joy. I am already looking forward to working with them again as I plan to invest in a preamplifier and a power conditioning system in the future. Additionally, Common Wave is expanding into a beautiful new space that is going to be spectacular to visit once it's finished. Thank you, Wes and Dmitry, for all your outstanding help!

This place is nothing short of heaven. The gear is all next level, sure, but it's the friendliness…read moreof the staff and the way the place feels that has me coming around. From getting educated on different amp/speaker pairings to their listening sessions that raise money for LAUSD ... I just might need to move in.