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 .

I recently worked with James to purchase a Coda 16 power amplifier. James knowledge was superb and…read morelead to my purchase of the amp. The Coda 16 delivers fast, powerful transparent sound and raises the performance level of my entire system. I am very happy with my purchase. James expertise was critical to me making a wise decision.

I had an excellent experience with James from beginning to end. He was incredibly generous with his…read moretime and expertise, even before I had made any commitment to purchase the system. He was patient, knowledgeable, and never made me feel pressured. The same level of care continued through the installation, and what impressed me most was his support afterward. When I needed additional help after everything was installed, he made himself available and personally assisted me. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a high-quality audio system, and exceptional service.

Chris is THE Los Angeles Empire turntable expert. I picked up a used Empire Scientific 698…read moreturntable in completely untested condition and in a two hour house call Chris had it resuscitated, fully set up, and ready to run for another 50 years. Chris was upfront about pricing, timely, and a great communicator.

Chris does great work... if you can ever get him to finish it…read more He came out right away to consult on two consoles I had with separate problems. He replaced the capacitor for one, and took the turntable for the other with him to fix. He brought it back the next day repaired. The work for both was over a thousand... maybe 1200 or so. Fast, efficient. Worth it... if it had ended there. But it didn't. The console with the replaced capacitor still had the same problem and the turntable had a new issue and wasn't playing out of one channel. These things happen, no problem... so I texted Chris this, and he would occasionally get back to me but would not commit to come out and finish the work. After months of this I started to get worried. Finally, two or three months later of hounding him constantly, I got him to come out to at least fix the turntable - but only AFTER I had diagnosed the issue myself (was simply a loose wire in the cartridge that needed soldering) and told him not to worry about the second console for now (which he said he'd have to take into his shop since he had no room) if that was what was preventing him from coming out. That worked. He came. Soldered the one wire and one player was working fully. I was happy for at least that. We discussed having him take the other console into his shop in a month or so when he had room and finish what he started... I knew there would extra costs and told him so. Nevertheless, he has stopped responding to any communication from me at all since that day. That was months ago now. Judging by other reviews on here about Chris ghosting them, I fear that is the treatment I'm getting and it's the last I've heard from him. I'll have to find someone else to finish the work I suppose.

Great selections film audio entertainment equipment…read moreKnowledgeable staff Been going to Hollywood store for many years new location is ok

Every time I've ever done here in the last year, they've never had what I've needed in the past…read morethis would be one of my go to places for cables microphones no longer

Can I give them 6 stars ?…read more I purchased a home stereo system at Ahead Stereo about three or four years ago. I met with Aaron just to ask a few preliminary questions. he is super knowledgeable, like everyone at Ahead Stereo, but understood my level of expertise and was able bring it up a few notches. I love the system I bought there. Every time I have a question setting it up, Aaron emails be exact drawings of what goes where. In the last few years I've purchased a few more items from Aaron and no matter what questions I ask, they are answered completely regardless whether I'm ready to purchase something or looking for advice. His diagrams are awesome. I recently learned a local big box store carries some of the same brands as Ahead, but you will NEVER get the help you will want and need there. Do yourself a favor, stop in to Ahead Stereo and listen to some of the best audio gear available.

Outstanding Service and Support at Ahead Stereo…read more I purchased my McIntosh turntable from Ahead Stereo and recently ran into an issue with my stylus. I reached out to Brian, and he immediately went above and beyond--contacting McIntosh on my behalf, walking me through the options, and ultimately helping me get back up and running. What stood out most wasn't just the solution, but the care and integrity Brian showed throughout the process. He didn't treat me like just another transaction, he treated me like a valued customer. That kind of support is rare, and it's exactly why I'll keep coming back to Ahead Stereo. If you're into high-end audio and want a dealer who stands by their customers, this is the place. Highly recommend.

From beginning to end, my experience with Pro Audio L.A. has been incredible. Jason provided…read moreexceptional and knowledgeable information in our consultation - he heard my needs and made suggestions that fit who *I* am as an artist and producer. I never felt upsold or oversold anything - I always felt supported. On installation day, Jussef and Richard were kind, patient, knowledgeable and wonderful. They helped me get everything set up, did beautiful custom cable work and answered every question I had with helpfulness and a real enthusiasm for their work. I will 1000% be returning to work with Pro Audio L.A. and would highly recommend their wonderful work.

Pro Audio LA was once a highly reputable, trustworthy, consistently reliable company with an…read moreexemplary business model. But over the course of the past year or so (beginning around roughly mid-2025 and onward), the company inexplicably took a nosedive with its prior reputation and is quickly sending it to the dumpster, given that it mysteriously no longer responds to communications and is increasingly failing to fulfill and/or ship its existing orders. I am not certain what suddenly changed - perhaps the ownership was transfered and/or bought out, or maybe their next-of-kin inherited the business - but regardless of the reasons, I CAN tell you with certainty by this point in time is that this is no longer the Pro Audio LA which we audio professionals so fondly remember, most sadly to say. Because all of its communications and ordering processes have just about broken down within the past months, even as it continues to accept your online orders and take your money! For the record: I have $300-worth of audio interconnect cables ordered from this past springtime of 2026, and it is now mid-July as of the time of my writing of this review, yet STILL I have heard nothing further of my order. Even after multiple communication attempts. Nothing but dead silence on the other end, even though ... again ... the online order form remains open, functional, and happily charges your credit card without batting an eyelash. Clearly, something has gone terribly, heinously amiss while SOMEONE on the other end continues to take your money. And that's just about where the paper trail ends, because your online order stays in perpetual "processing" with nothing further done. That's where it sits, even as of today. So, please, heed my warning and do NOT give Pro Audio LA a single cent of your business from this point, onward. At least not until some kind of definitive light is shed on whatever has transpired within the establishment, regarding its suddenly-tanking business model. Because this doesn't smell right at all, and I am not the only recent buyer who has been raising awareness about the recent 180° turn for the worse by this company.

6 out of 5. I just found this review by Nick M - and I could not have said it better myself:…read more Nearly impossible to say enough good things about Jen, Oscar, and Rewind Audio! Not only do they consistently have an amazing inventory of diverse, unique, high-quality vintage hifi components (speakers, amps, turntables, cassette decks, etc), but they are also extremely knowledgable, kind, and earnest people who value their customers deeply, and strive to deliver the best possible gear and customer service. Their energy and passion is infectious! Aside from being great people - they offer very fair and competitive pricing on all of their equipment and you can be certain that everything in stock has been inspected, tested, and held to the highest standard - which makes the value nearly priceless. A rare gem in LA! A 'must visit' for vintage audio nerds.

Came here for a birthday party. We had access to the cool interior of the store with all kinds of…read moreretro audio equipment and then access to the large back patio space. The party host had a bartender, set up a food and appetizer station near a retro camper. Add some party decorations and it was such a cool place to rent space from! Definitely considering a rental for a future party here and also, to go back and buy some records which were reasonably priced.

A totally professional operation with top-notch team. I needed sound equipment for an event on…read moreshort notice, and they swung into action for me (especially Chris and, I believe, Jared). Due to a last-minute change, I ended up not needing the equipment after all, and they graciously took it back at no charge. I would come back to Hollywood Sound Systems any time!

We had a gig at Van Nuys High School last week and due to an emergency situation we had to move the…read morevenue and rent some special microphones. Chris and the rest of the staff at Hollywood Sound Systems came to the rescue. They patiently worked with us to find the right microphones and sound board for the job. And the event was a success. Thank you!!!

Frank was very friendly and helpful, helped me connect my speaker thinking it was broken and…read moresomething was wrong, explained everything and how the functionality works.

After purchasing a set of vintage Bose 901 Series IV from Craigslist I realized they needed some…read morehelp. They had been re foamed, but not correctly. some drivers were out of alignment and the voice coils scratched in the magnet. Frank said he could repair them but the cost of labor would be much higher than buying and installing exact replacements. we did that with 5 drivers and re cemented the cones on a few others. What an excellent result. They sound perfect and was given a fair price and the work sas done quickly. I would recommend him for any vintage speaker repairs