Went here about a week ago to get a simple cartridge swap done on my basic Audio Technica turntable. Decided to go on Tuesday since it was their late day. I arrived there about 30 mins before their close time but unfortunately they had some issues that caused them to close early. Anyways, I spoke with the owner John and he said he was gonna return in an hour so I decided to grab something to eat then head back since it was a decent drive from my house. Took a little longer than an hour, but things happen. When John got there, he gladly changed the cartridge for me on the spot (during after hours) and I hung out there while listening to some music on his killer setup. He was a very friendly guy that got the job done in 30 mins and for a reasonable price. My advice is to call before you go to make sure that they're open but they're a great little shop that has plenty of experience (27 years worth!) I'll definitely be returning I'm sure for all related repairs/audio purchases. read more

Personal service and a good hang with other audio lovers. They have an in house expert who will do excellent maintenance on your turntables and needles. Also have a nice selection of records to go through while you wait read more

This place is amazing and I'll tell you why: for someone who is a novice, getting into Hi-Fi can feel incredibly intimidating. But John and Co. make everything feel relaxed and fun. We get Into it to enjoy music right? So John had my girlfriend and I sit with him for over and hour demoing amps and speakers. I ended up buying a Rega Elex MK4 which was a massive upgrade for me and honestly a big investment, but they really did not push me to spend one dollar more than I could afford. While we were there I told him what bookshelf speakers I had and he connected some similarly sized bookshelves with a pair of REL subs and I was just completely enamored with the suddenly gutsy sound. Fast forward a couple of months and I went to buy the REL, which has totally exceeded my expectations. My system is like new and I am enjoying everything in my collection for the first time all over again. John and everyone at Audio Connection: you guys have a customer for life! read more

Audio Connection - One of many listening rooms. Prepare to be amazed. - Home Theatre Installation Near Me - Verona, New Jersey

I recently purchased a stereo power amplifier from John Rutan at Audio Connection. This was my 2nd amp I've purchased from him. He gave me a great price. When I picked it up, I showed interested in some speakers. He spent over 30 minutes giving me a demo. When I had trouble connecting my amp, I called him at 7:30pm and he walked me through the set up step by step even though he was out to dinner. Great service! read more

John and the entire team was great, hospitable, attentive. Bought a pair of KLH speakers, and had my turntable serviced by their in-house technician. No need to drive into NYC for hi-fi gear anymore. read more

This is a GREAT and honest company. I sent a question to Audio Connection about a problem I was having with my audiophile CD player. I intended to send them the player for repair until they called me and asked several pertinent questions about the problem. They gave me several simple possible solutions for me to try myself before sending them the unit. They were also concerned about the unit being shipped across the country since I am in California and they're in New Jersey. They even found me a service referral in the Los Angeles area AND they called me after a few days to see if any of their recommended solutions worked! This is a class outfit. They care about what they do and about their customers and even potential customers. I highly recommend them. I haven't had a chance to fully troubleshoot my unit, but if it doesn't fly I may just send it to them anyway. I trust them. read more

I have worked with John last few weeks trying to get a Rotel CD player, with the item being back ordered, John was so nice to lend me a demo till the order arrived. Great service, and very generous in his lending me the player! Thanks again JOHN read more

First class experience from John Rutan. I had spent a morning in the shop with John, and said I needed to decide what I wanted to do. He was totally cool with that. Well, it took me about 10 months to decide and when I called it's like we didn't miss a beat. We made our deal, I was kept informed of shipping time, and frankly, I could not have asked for a better experience. read more

The folks that run this store, John, the owner, and his associates, Greg and Nick, are some of the nicest people you will ever encounter in a retail establishment. Although they carry some the finest and priciest stereo equipment on the market, they are real down-to-earth guys that are happy just to shoot the breeze with you, but will also share their vast wealth of experience and knowledge, while never pressuring you to buy anything at all. In fact, John will encourage you to borrow a component, or even a cable, take it home and demo it in your own familiar environment before shelling out any money. This is way better than, for example, hearing an amplifier in their showroom, connected to a pair of $10,000 speakers that bears no representation of how it will sound in your home in your system. John will work within your budget, without a trace of snobbery or condescension that you sometimes encounter at other high-end audio dealers. He understands that this hobby should always be fun for customers, not stressful or intiimidating, just because you walked into his store, and can't afford a pair of speakers that sell for more than a new car. read more

Yelp isn't the place I turn to for information on Hi-Fi, but I got to put in my two cents worth. Many such stores treat you like you're inadequate. Whatever you have, be it a $500 system or a $20000 is inadequate. John Rutan's Audio Connection is not that. He will be glad to sit with you and listen to some music in his shop. Don't be misled by its appearance from the street. This is not just a little storefront. There are quite a few listening rooms scattered both in that space and in another building nearby (one has an amazing sounding system that costs crazy amounts of money but simply has the best sound I have ever heard in my life). John will be happy to tell help you in any capacity, its up to you what you want to spend and what you want. He is a gentleman, he has a golden ear, and he is a good guy. His sidekicks Nick and Greg are also great. Stop by Audio Connection and give a listen. You may well wind up like me... a lot poorer but a LOT happier. read more

I have a Carver receiver from the 80's that one channel kept fading out. I had it fixed twice by other companies with no luck. John and his crew fixed it perfectly for a fair price. I cannot recommend them enough for your audio problems. read more

I held off for nearly a year before writing this. I don't like dissing a business and didn't want to act on my emotions. I also second-guessed myself because of all the great reviews. However, my experience was what it was and that was horrible. I called around different places to buy a new NAD amp. I should have known from my initial call to AC to steer clear. When the price and terms quoted weren't to my liking and I offhandedly said I may as well get it from Crutchfield, John the owner went into a tirade and actually yelled at me. This is the absolute truth. But there was something about what he said that made me want to stick with him - that even though it was only one item and that I was never going to be a big customer, he promised to go way out of his way to help, including hand delivery to Jersey City. He promised to make me a very happy customer. Needless to say, after he got my money, it was all downhill. The amp was missing the phono stage when they got it in from NAD, so it took an extra 2 weeks, 1 week due to John's procrastination. I hate to say this, but he's not the most honest person in the world. While he was at my apartment, I asked him to service my turntable. He took it back to the shop with him. About 2 weeks later or so, he brought it back. That was after pulling teeth; nothing major needed to be done. I asked how much and he told me the price which was fair. I gave him cash. Meanwhile, he had charged my credit card before he came over and never even mentioned it. Thinking back, I should have disputed the charge. I won't go into the other hassles but it was just an all around unpleasant experience and I found John to be rude and gruff and full of it. It's people like him that keeps places like Crutchfield in business! read more

Just want to say what wonderful service I received here. Brought in my Marantz turntable to be serviced. The technician who performed the service was clearly experienced and knew exactly what to do. Recalibrated everything and it now sounds fantastic. Cost was totally reasonable. I highly recommend these guys to anyone interested in higher end stereo equipment. read more

I went to John as I read some intriguing reviews concerning Ayre products for which he is the local dealer. I explained to him what my current equipment was, the sound I was looking for and my price parameters. We listened to some music together of cds I had brought and discussing the sound I was looking for in my space. John pretty quickly understood what I was searching for and over time allowed me to borrow equipment so that I could realize the potential of the components I was going to keep. He helped me to build a core system by trial and era with no pressure whatsoever even advising me to start slow and not spend too much money and helped me to find the price point where I was going to get as much bang for the buck as possible and discouraged me from overspending. His staff is a pleasure and on a Saturday afternoon one can meet a number of music lovers who are really into the music as the ultimate goal. Audio equipment is the means to the end. John understands that music is an emotional experience and knows the potential of that involvement can be intensified and refined through the equipment you enjoy the most. read more

I highly recommend Audio Connection. I visited the store twice before purchasing a new set of speakers from AC. AC provides a very friendly, no pressure kind of environment - they really let the products sell themselves. Both John and Greg were extremely patient, knowledgeable, and went out of their way to explain the relative merits of various options available given my personal budget, space and musical preferences. I'll certainly be a return customer. read more

Honest, patience, not a superficial store. Bought used b and w's and a Rega amp. This is the best it will get in this field.

Really amazing and friendly service. They are helpful and patient and really care about satisfying their customers. I highly recommend them!