All of the enthusiastic reviews are accurate: Steven is highly skilled yet approachable, and his ability to explain actual and potential problems is amazing. read more

Amazing place for records and music enjoyment with different rooms for reviewing HiFi. If you have an old record player they will give you a free evaluation on course of action on repair or point you in the right direction to go. Great place for hosting an event. read more

I really enjoy spending time chatting with Jason and Stephen whenever I visit the Lavish showroom. Knowledgeable, approachable, etc. I recently purchased a Hana EL cartridge and they installed it same day! I could not be happier with my purchase and service from the team. Thanks again gentlemen! read more

Lavish - This cart even brings my sub-par pressings to life!!! $500 is a small price to pay for sonic luxury.... - High Fidelity Audio Equipment Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Great, helpful and knowledgeable staff. Excellent varied rooms for listening to various amps, speakers, etc.

I recently decided to get back into serious listening and reinvigorating my 30 year old system, and have really appreciated the assistance I've received from Steven at Lavish. Yes, they sell some extremely high-end stuff, but he does not assume everyone has an unlimited budget, and actually talked me into a cheaper alternative to the streamer I thought I needed. He also loaned me some high-end speaker cables to see if they would make a difference in my situation. I highly recommend Lavish, and also recommend attending their monthly presentations on various a/v topics of interest. read more

May of 2020: I had a '70s turntable that was in storage. When I took it out, some little gremlins got in it and it wouldn't work. I emailed Lavish about getting it repaired; it had been repaired by another shop 2x. Next day, I decided I wouldn't beat a dead horse to death. I was talking to Steven and I wound up getting the Rega Planar3 turntables. 1 for the stereo setup and 1 for a dedicated phono section of a home theatre. Steven meticulously installed my cartridges and set everything up so all I had was plug and play. If you buy a turntable, it is best to buy from a brick and mortar place. If you buy online, you would be sent a a turntable to set up yourself. I forgot to say, you have to make an appointment because of this Wuhan virus. We made the deal with proper social distancing. read more

Lavish - Rega Planar3, Ortofon 2M Mono SE, Rega Fono mm, Salamander Synergy, Ikea Tuve table lamp. - High Fidelity Audio Equipment Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

Excellent service and knowledgeable staff! Brought in a turntable for service and they were able to quickly determine the issue and make the repair. read more

I love this place! So much patience from staff and so professional. I love my new stereo and speakers. Next I will have my TV stream through my new Kef 3R speakers for the best sound ever. Great prices and quality. There knowledge is amazing on their products! I would buy through Lavish again. Thank you Lavish Hi FI! Lisa read more

I get all my gear at Lavish Hi-Fi. It is my go-to place. I love the Cambridge brand. My CD player was acting up a bit after a long trip in the car from Upstate New York, returning to the North Bay. Jason answered the phone and said "bring it on in" He cleaned it inside and out and it popped back to life. I greatly appreciated the service and kind vibe. My next piece of gear I am getting is a new turntable. You can rest assured that Jason and Steven are getting my business with confidence. Cheers! read more

Lavish - MAHAVISNU - High Fidelity Audio Equipment Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

I wanted to take a minute to call out Steven Lester at Lavish. Steven is incredibly knowledgable of the products and the industry. I enjoy driving and chatting with Steven for a couple hours on the weekends. Most recently Steven helped me step into a very nice Rega P3 turntable with an Ortofon Bronze cartridge. I am blown away with how this turntable sounds. Steven dialed everything in so all I had to do was take it home and plug it into my preamp. I listen to vinyl more than I do digital now. It used to be completely the opposite, until I added this turntable. I know I probably drive Steven crazy with the phone calls and random questions, but he is always polite and helpful. I have also referred many of my friends to Lavish and they have made some pretty nice purchases over the last few years. Thanks again Lavish, and Steven for always being so helpful. read more

Lavish - Rega P3 - High Fidelity Audio Equipment Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

I had been having trouble with my left speaker, buzzing etc. I checked all the connections, tightened everything up and for a bit it seemed to fix the problem. When it returned I stopped at Lavish, where I had previously bought equipment and Steven said the receiver is probably the source so bring it in and we'll bench test it. While on the bench they upgraded "software" and worked on it a bit before telling me it belonged in the e-waste file. In response to my dilemma about what to replace it with Steven said, since you like NAD and longer need a radio, I'd buy a NAD C 700 amp, which I did and could not be more pleased with, the best sound I have ever heard from my Snell speakers, by a long shot, and more power than I can use. With Jason as second in command it's a great stereo shop and for my money there is no need to go anywhere else. read more

They were very helpful in diagnosing the status of my turntable and there was no charge. Good guys read more

Went in to buy speakers and didn't do it. They had them in stock but talked me out of it. They explained why the speakers I liked the reviews of online reviews were wrong for my setup. The last time I came, I brought in a receiver with a problem and they showed me how to fix it myself for free (corroded pot). Honest, knowledgeable sales people. That's why I've been buying from these guys for over 20 years and will be back again. read more

I have never really met a more honest and competent person than Steven. He curates first rate products, has top notch engineering skills, and the integrity rare in this business. I wanted to upgrade my Linn Sondek LP 12, and he did so with uplomb, with no attempt to upsell. Prior to meeting Steven I never really respected audio salesmen. For the most part, they tend to deride brands they don't carry, question one's ears, and attempt the hard sell. Steven is the opposite -- he listened to what I needed, did an outstanding job. He also appreciated the fact that money is hard earned. Moreover, I felt respected, and came out educated. Because of the way Steven treated me, he earned my trust, and the next time I buy anything in audio or video, I will happily drive to Santa Rosa, rather than buy from the bullies in Los Gatos and Saratoga, although I live in the Peninsula. I will also recommend him as the only place to go to in the entire SF Bay Area. Lavish in Santa Rosa, with Steven at the helm, is a priceless gem -- an oasis of integrity in an industry of smoke, mirrors, and dishonesty. I only wish they expanded to the South / East Bay -- with him at the helm, of course! read more

You have to appreciate any business that doesn't vigorously try and sell you something. We came looking for a subwoofer and ended up auditioning two different systems, the latter an uber high- end system without a sub. The guy freely dispensed expertise and auditioned the system for a long time without pushing a purchase. read more

Steven and Jason are both knowledgeable and provide excellent customer service. They took care of upgrading my Linn LP12 quickly and for a reasonable price. Lavish is also a beautiful showroom with terrific equipment. It's worth a trip (I come up from the South Bay)! read more

When I wanted to upgrade my home theater system, I went to several businesses in Santa Rosa, and finally selected Lavish HiFi and was not disappointed. The other specialty businesses were to busy to return my phone calls and the salespeople at the big box stores seemed to lack expertise. Steven Lester at Lavish listened carefully to my concerns and then demonstrated a wealth of technical knowledge in designing a wonderful system that matched my budget. Anyone who wants to learn more about high fidelity audio and home theater should attend his fascinating lectures in the store that start around 5:00 pm on the third Thursdays of the month. We are lucky to have access to this talented speaker who is a national treasure of audio expertise and history. read more

Lavish - Lavish on 4th Street - High Fidelity Audio Equipment Near Me - Santa Rosa, California

The experience at Lavish Hi-fi was fantastic. Steven is not only an excellent salesman but a patient and knowledgeable educator. He is very passionate and understands budgetary concerns. I never felt pushed and prodded for a upsell. The lines of products he carries are fantastic and are a great value. We were able to take our time and listen to what we wanted. I walked out with a great set of Linn products and zero buyers regret. read more

Great service - always professional and helpful. I've visited his sho a few times and I'll always return.

We went to Lavish to get help with our amplifier. Steven Lester answered all of our questions in a low key and extremely knowledgeable manner. We got a new Onkyo amplifier as well as a Elac sub woofer and a Tannoy center speaker. We are thrilled with the results! We are rediscovering our CD collection and also enjoying the technology of Air Play. We are sharing our "red chair" spot at home and having a blast. We discovered our CD player needed repair. The tech team fixed the belt quickly at a reasonable price. We recommend Steven and Lavish to anyone interested in high quality sound without hype or pressure. read more

I went to Lavish in search of a completely new vinyl setup. I knew which turntable I wanted, but hadn't made up my mind on the other components or speakers . Tony helped me establish the best possible setup within my budget. I had worked in the service industry for 15 years, and I seldom experience the type of above-and-beyond service this place has to offer. Incredibly knowledgeable staff, super helpful, and great selection! read more

Thank the Hi-Fi Gods for Craig Allison!! And thanks again that the stars aligned properly so that he's managing Lavish Hi-Fi! Seems I have been following him from hi-fi store to hi-fi store, almost accidentally in some cases, benefitting from his kindness and expertise. I have been buying stereo equipment from Craig since the days of my first stereo purchase at Catania Sound, on Mendocino Ave. I've replaced equipment that has just plain worn out - again from Catania Sound but years later - and every piece has (importantly) meshed with the system hand-in-glove, thanks again to the breadth of his knowledge and expertise. Somewhat later I went to San Rafael to buy a CD player for my system at a main street hi-fi store, and there was Craig! Just took the one he recommended, went home and started playing great sounding music again. Recently, I needed a speaker upgrade, and after a lot of calling around, dropped into Lavish Hi Fi to see what they had. The voice of an old acquaintance rang out from behind me, saying "John, how the heck are you!", and we were again off and running. I was guided to the best, and most (cost) reasonable choice for new speakers and sub-woofer, and have been immensely pleased with the way my music now sounds. These folks are the experts in town, and the VERY reasonable cost of great hi-fi equipment in their store, as well as excellent advice and service from experts like Craig, has steered me away from online stereo purchasing and back home again. I'm happier for it. Thank you all, at Lavish Hi-Fi. read more

Great experience, especially given how intimidating it was for us to decide on a speaker system. Tony was patient and knowledgable as we looked over the options available. He made sure to take the time to get an understanding on our current needs as well as what me want to do going forward in terms of additional hardware down the road. We ended up purchasing speakers that were exactly what would be best for our room set-up and listening habits. We may have spent more than we had originally planned, but we have no regrets about the quality of speakers we purchased. Cool spot to geek out in. read more

A couple of years ago, Santa brought me an all-in-one Crosley record player and I pulled about 600 LPs out of storage. While I enjoyed hearing those sounds again, I knew higher fidelity awaited. I first went in to see if my vintage Sony receiver and Dual turntable still worked, and if so, I'd snag a pair of speakers. Well...after 25+ years in storage, the classic components were shot. But...Tony and the team at Lavish set me up with a new receiver, turntable and speakers - and kept my budget in mind. Tony was friendly, knowledgeable and took the time to guide me through the process, demoing speakers and letting me know the real differences between his offerings. When I got the system home, I couldn't get the right channel to produce sound. But when I called Lavish (just before closing) to ask what I had done wrong, they went WAY above and beyond, sending the repair tech (the unflappable Barry) from Santa Rosa all the way to San Rafael to diagnose the issue. (Faulty turntable) And I did not buy a super high-end system. I think maybe they just couldn't stand the idea of me subjecting my records to the torture the Crosley was apparently putting them through. Whether you want a system to make your audiophile friends drool in envy, or (like me) just want a solid set-up to listen to music (or watch movies), I don't think Lavish would ever steer you wrong. read more

I first availed myself of Mr. Lester's advanced knowledge of stereo when he was with SF's Audio Excellence. As a professional musician and live sound person, I am not ignorant of getting good sound. I never fail to learn a lot from Steve nonetheless. My turntable needed a once over twice and he got it back to spec in minutes. I'm glad I brought it to him before launching back into my vinyl as the stylus was badly damaged during a move. An amplifier had failed. The fuse was fine. I took it in and it had a second fuse inside (where I never go!) Fix was fast, easy and affordable. And I got to meet Charlie the good dog too. The monthly discussion demos offered by Steven Lester are informative and entertaining. Again, I always learn something new. Best audio store I've experienced since leaving SF in 1989. Highest recommendation. read more

Amazing audio store! We went in not knowing exactly what we wanted or needed, but their help and expertise was invaluable. The customer service was amazing, no hard sales tactics, just informative with options. The pricing was excellent, especially for their high quality options. In my opinion, they are the go to store in Sonoma County for all of your audio needs. I'd give them a 10 star rating if I could! read more

Lavish is the best. I bought a used fisher stereo setup at the goodwiil for a whole 20$. Come to find out it wasn't the best quality. They didn't carry the needles I needed but instead of sending me on my way to figure it out on my own they found a needle that would work. Upon testing the turntable to see if the turntable and needle would work we discovered the belt for the turn table was worn out. Again, they came through and found one that would fit. After all was said and done the turntable worked great, at least for us. When I asked for the cost I was told no charge. Even when I insisted. When I am able to upgrade Im going too them. I am so impressed. Thank you for your integrity and above and beyond customer service. read more

Fantastic store with a super friendly and knowledgeable staff. This is my favorite stereo store in the whole Bay Area. I recommend talking to Tony. He is always eager to share some music over their cool stereo and home theater gear (and isn't that what it's all about, enjoying more of the music, not the hardware). I especially like that Tony is just as enthusiastic about reasonable priced stuff so long as it makes great music. Such a welcome change from the clueless big box stores. read more

After many years of using my equipment from the 70s I decided to investigate upgrading on a budget and went to Lavish and luckily was taken under the wing of Steven, the audio wizard there. They repaired my old turntable, guided me to an excellent reasonably priced receiver to match my new speakers and Steven even came to my house to Tune it all. It was incredible how much he knew and His acceptance of my budget limitations. I've also been availing myself of the Thursday night once a month learning sessions and always come away really happy to have found someone at a store that loves audio and music as much as I do. This place is a treasure. read more

Lavish is a treasure of a find. Outstanding customer service and knowledge of their amazing products.Our salesman Craig Allison, introduced us to some awesome products,what a pleasure working with him. Craig helped us choose some mid priced speakers that are extraordinary quality and sound..So exciting to hear beautiful music again. We will definitely be back for our future sound improvements. read more

A big THANK YOU to Craig Allison and his staff at Lavish Hi-Fi for assisting us with finding the right amp to fit our needs. Can't thank Tony enough for taking the time to come by our home to dial in the equipment. We couldn't be happier! A+ experience at Lavish Hi-Fi. read more

I had my first contact with Steven Lester and Lavish Hi-Fi when I moved to a new house and needed my 30 year old Linn Sondek turntable to be serviced and set up. Steven did a great job and it sounds wonderful. Next I wanted to upgrade my home theatre receiver and he recommended the NAD 778. This was a great choice and a huge improvement over my old Denon receiver. It sounded fantastic but I kept having nagging problems with the streaming. When I tried to stream Tidal it just kept freezing and stopping. It was intermittent. Steven talked me through some proposed fixes on the phone and ended up making multiple house calls to troubleshoot the network problems I was having. He was patient and tenacious and would not stop until he got the problem solved. It was the type of quality service you rarely see these days. I can happily say he succeeded and things are working perfectly. I can not recommend Steven and Lavish more highly. read more

These folks are making the world a better place one customer at a time, providing high quality sound reproduction equipment with a no BS sales approach. I'm enjoying my purchase immensely and I know I got high quality at excellent value. If you want good sound and people you can trust this is the place to go. read more

I just went in moments ago to check out some phono preamps for my turntable and to ask some questions about my home setup. Steven offered me an incredible listening experience in the "red chair room", which I took him up on, without hesitation. He really went above and beyond, his obvious love for hifi audio infectious. I will be back and will also be telling others about this awesome place. read more

These guys REALLY know their stuff. Friendly and fun with a history of knowledge that is mind blowing. No hard sale at all. We went in with a rough idea of what we wanted and they steered us perfectly. For what we purchased, the pricing was EXACTLY in line with internet pricing so we saved money not having to pay shipping! Go local! read more

Please note, I wanted to give no stars but the system wouldn't let me. Made an appointment directly with a technician to visit my house and bid on a project. He never showed. I called him again and he eventually showed. I mentioned the desire to have a bid asap. He promised to follow through but never gave me a bid. We talked the next day on the phone and he mentioned that the company was booked out and he used that as an excuse to not bid. I told him that I'd still like a bid because it may be worth it to me to wait. Never heard from the technician again. The facts speak for themselves. read more

I and three friends had attended Lavish's free "Mid-Summer Classical Evening" a few weeks ago, during which we learned quite a bit about live music in general, as well as re-creating the "live" musical experience in the home environment. The "lavish" (!) refreshments were very-much appreciated! We all agreed to sign-up for future events. The presentation tonight did not disappoint! Another great, very informative session with Steven, exploring the bits and bytes of computer-driven audio. He explained the various methods of ripping music to computer, the available (free or inexpensive!) lossy and lossless programs that are in use, and the preferred hardware arrangement for extracting the best quality reproduction from those files. Hint: You can do much better with iTunes at no cost! It was a small group, which allowed for us to interrupt as unfamiliar abbreviations or subject-matter came up. You really owe it to yourself to experience quality sound, in this (sadly) cell-phone, earbud, and MP-3 world. You'd be amazed when you hear good sound for, perhaps, the first time. No "selling". Did I mention "free"? Can't wait for the next one. Recommended! read more

I have recently become a self proclaimed "audiofile" these past two years and the one place I go to binge out on gear is Lavish. Steven is my go to guy there and they have helped me plan out a full audio/video plan for my upcoming house renovation. They know it all. Low pressure too, which is what I appreciate. I have been in the store four times checking out a pair of Ryan Speakers and figuring out what amp will go best with it and every time they are happy to set it up and sit and listen to songs with me. I am thankful to have this place close to me. read more

Great showroom! They have many different brands of hifi equipment. They are easy going with a lot of experience in the hifi arena.

Great experience buying a new system. Thanks Tony! I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted...Tony helped steer me in a few new directions. An upgraded cartridge turned out to not be a good match for my new turntable. They researched it, made some recommendations, and made it right. I am very pleased with my new cartridge and the overall sound of my system. I'll be back. Thanks Lavish! read more