May of 2020: I had a '70s turntable that was in storage. When I took it out, some little gremlins…read moregot 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.

Amazing place for records and music enjoyment with different rooms for reviewing HiFi…read more 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.

I stopped in Curtis on upgrading my system and Jacob was an absolute gem of knowledge! He took me…read morethrough multiple listening rooms and let me try some incredible speakers and we talked room design and musical instruments, the kind people at Music Lovers Audio are there for your audio questions and upgrades

The Zero Hero Strikes Out Again... My purchase in 1995 came…read moreto just under $23,000 and with inflation this system would have cost of $53,000 today. Both numbers represent an amount that is close to the average gross income in The States. The issues that I had with Graham persist to this day and over a $500.00 screw up for auxiliary speakers that were charged and never delivered. Did anyone verify from MLA? Who knows, doubtful. The Sonus Faber speakers that I selected needed new grill material. My wife was kind enough to contact the SF location and she was told that Sonus Faber would be happy to send new grills at no charge. SF contacted Graham and guess what? After seven months nothing. I called the distributor and asked if grills could be sent and if Graham ever placed an order for me. Yes on the first and just like Graham, no order was made. This type of behavior contradicts the policy and/or credo of Music Lovers. On the inter web: https://www.musicloversaudio.com/about-music-lovers Graham doesn't live up to the long-term/lifetime relationship.

Short version: 5…read morestars. Best of class in San Francisco for people who love music. Go there for good gear selection, good conditions to try stuff, honest expert opinions (that will challenge you), and professional service. Long version: I have been shopping at the San Francisco location for close to a decade now. Over that period, I bought three or four pairs of headsets, a turntable, and a tube amplifier, along with a set of random accessories. So, presumably, somewhere under $10k total. I am not rich by any standard, and every purchase usually takes me months, sometimes years before I make a decision. I have also, during that period, bought equipment from other shops as well (specifically a number of DACs that they do not carry), and sometimes online. On the "issues" side, I brought back my amp and they got it serviced for free, working with the company (something was defective with the power unit). I also had to replace the cartridge of my turntable (broken by a (now) former friend), and they got me a good discount on the replacement. Every time, this was handled seriously and professionally. What I like with Music Lovers: - I never feel pressured to buy anything - they let me hang out in the store for extended headsets listening sessions (yes, you have to show that you are serious about this, not just passing by) - when asking ahead of time, they will setup a listening room for me with a reproduction of my existing system for a test session (just that is gold) - they know what they are talking about - they are not afraid of having opinions and sharing them - not (too much) audiophile bullshit - their brand selection is satisfying - you can score good deals on pre-owned, demo units, or previous-gen - they are responsive Now, reading some of the negative reviews, I thought I would add a few words to help people make the best of it - or decide it is not for them. The most recurring complaint is that "they are arrogant", "customer service is disrespectful". Yeah well, this is audiophile territory. People in this are driven by passion before anything else. So, what do you want exactly? Passion, but without passion? Yes, they will dish out on gear WX, or push gear YZ, or might look down on you if you claim that your gimmicky Wirecutter-recommended-gizmo is awesome. Deal with it. Drop the entitled American customer attitude. Just because you have money does not make your every dumb view worthy of respect. If you can't tell the difference between an honest opinion and "bad" customer service, then you should go to Walmart. "Talking down to you" and out of your shitty takes is them doing you a big service, instead of sucking up to you and selling you whatever overpriced cool-aid. No one is forcing you to agree with their opinions, or get passionate yourself. Just take these in for what they are (informed, expert views), do some side reading and research, develop your ear, and test yourself to figure out what is good for you. Agree with what you can confirm. Then ignore the rest. Simple. At the end of the day, this is not so much about their attitude than it is about yours: are you in it to find gear that you objectively like? or for the "shopping experience", to have people polish that oversized ego, hypnotizing you into buying the latest over-hyped idiocy? Loving music is very much like loving wine. It is hard. Nothing is obvious at first. It is exclusive. It's about honesty, and developing that ability to focus on intrinsic qualities rather than whatever a gullible market say is good. It takes a lifetime of commitment to developing that organ. So, do you expect reverent staff feeding you, ad-nauseam, that disgusting, sticker-buyer $500 Napa Chardonnay? Or do you want to learn something about wine and get to experience that Chablis Grand-Cru? Have fun, music lover :-).

I've had great experiences at both the San Francisco and Berkeley Music Lovers locations…read more Everything I said about Berkeley is true for San Francisco. Additionally for San Francisco they have Spencer. Spencer has been the most knowledgeable, helpful, and patient person I've ever worked with at any store. Every time I've come into the store over the years with an idea about what I want to try out he sets it up, alongside some (generally much better) alternatives. Not better as in more expensive, better as in something I will personally enjoy more. He can do that because he cares and he listens. I've never felt pressured to buy something beyond my stated price range, and I've never felt like I was judged for not wanting to buy the most expensive things. He showed me Ayre Acoustics and I've totally fallen in love with their products. Paired with Sonus Faber is sublime. I've really enjoyed all the Paradigm Founder series speakers I bought from them, as well as the Anthem home theater processors. There are also often great deals on pre-owned products from their customers who've traded up. All of those are almost brand new quality. Everyone I've worked with at Music Lovers has been great, but Spencer has been especially great. I recommend this store to everyone I talk to who wants to buy any hifi products in San Francisco

Andrew and his team were awesome. Andrew came out provided a solution for our needs. Installation…read moreteam was professional, informative and thorough. Also accommodating. Had other quotes and Magnolia was the best value and quality was top notch. Highly recommend.

I was salivating over the Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) 804D3. I decided on the white ones because…read morethey're not something you see every day. They have silver tweeter housings instead of the usual black. They also have gray speaker grilles instead of the usual black. It made for a nice decor scheme for my front living room. I'm very happy to have them. I posted some pics. Bought while adhering to safety guidelines. Mike Ortega was my go to guy. Apparently, there were no white ones within a few hundred miles radius so he had some shipped from the other end of the continent. Thanks Mike In the past, the folks at Magnolia helped me buy a part for a speaker that I did not buy from them. I also bought a DVD/CD player and some parts for an audio rack; so yes, a very helpful staff.

A very educated and experienced tech guy named Bayron. Was great about helping my issue for a…read moreclient when I wasn't able to get tot he property.

Hiring vendors for a wedding can be stressful, and Bayron was the obvious choice after speaking…read morewith several DJs. It's clear that Tech4U is a professional team and wants to provide their customers with an outstanding experience. Bayron was able to meet us at the venue several times leading up to the big day, including some last minute changes to include a massive disco ball. It was not easy to rig a giant disco ball outside, but he got it done. Bayron also worked with us to fit our budget and went through several iterations of proposals. Bayron also has high-end equipment and his speakers packed all the punch needed to fill the floor and feel the heat. All in all, a class act and professional experience. Thank you Bayron!

lifetime customer…read more Dave is an amazing Guy as well as his wonderful staff, the kind of place you check first before the big box stores. I dont think you'll find a better deal anywhere else. Great value heck impeccabl. got a pair of JBL horn loaded giant two ways for 350$ only needed set of 70$ compression drivers and are now working and are an extremely rare set of horn loaded speakers. plus grabbed a bunch of cab radios and antennas for our cars and all amazing deals. this shop has most anything you'll need from stereos to cds and records to collectibles radio gear and tools. he's got everything!! Dave's always got my business.

Service here is excellent, great staff with a smile. You will be amazed at the selection of items…read moreat a very fair price. This store offers clothes, fishing items, tools, shoes, antiques, jewlery and so much more. I have shopped here for over 15 years. Fatty's gets new items in weekly. Come here for some mind blowing deals, you will leave with a smile.

Very knowledgeable and honest. Provided excellent help and was very patient throughout the process,…read moreanswered all of my questions thoroughly.

Robert has been calibrating my various display devices since the 1980's. He's calibrated every…read morekind of set I've owned for four decades. I've had sets from Pioneer, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and now LG. I was one of his earliest clients and I've recommended him over these many years. I was originally about to purchase a Sony Master Z series 8k 75" set, but he strongly steered me toward an LG OLED - new G2 in 75". What a difference his advice made! Robert is considered by LG (and other companies as well) as being a Master Class Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) calibrator of display devices. He is also now working with Dolby Labs and they highly value his skill-set in their own development. Most people naively think calibrating a TV is merely adjusting the contrast, brightness, color, detail, etc. buttons on the remote LOL! Have I got news for you! That is NOT calibration no matter how good you "think" you are at setting those knobs. Calibration requires extremely expensive equipment that Robert brings to your home. A full calibration can take up to eight (8) hours, but when he's done you are going to be left with your mouth open in awe of what that set of yours is capable of showing! My calibration of the LG-G2 was completed yesterday. He started at 9am and finished just before 6pm. I invited a friend over to watch the long process and he was shocked at what's involved and he now wants the same done for him eventually. Robert loves to explain every single step of WHAT he's doing and WHY he's doing it. Watching him is like watching a micro-surgeon delicately tweak settings you don't have access to as an owner. Robert's professional skill-set does not come cheap, but if you've already spent several thousand on a good set, you would be foolish NOT to spend the extra to truly make it right. What you see on display at Best Buy, Costco or other shops, is just the BEGINNING of what a fully professionally calibrated set can ultimately look like. Robert has calibrated sets for many of the rich and famous Hollywood crowd and they know what the director intended for you to see on your screen. They want and accept nothing but the best . . . so why shouldn't you for all the money you already spent to get that display device?

I have worked with Mark at Pacific Wired on several installations, and he is top notch. I had gone…read moredown a rabbit hole spending 10s of thousands of dollars on a complex installation that just didn't work right. Mark sorted everything out, and got everything working perfectly. When I have a problem, he is responsive, and helps me troubleshoot. Most importantly, he is fair and does not run up bills on hardware or installations without explaining everything in a thoughtful consultation. He will even test solutions first before having me commit to expensive installs. I have been burned working with more established "high end" installation shops where you just have to trust what the guys are telling you and then never hear from them again. Not with Pacific Wired. I would recommend them to anyone, and will not go anywhere else for home theater, Wi-Fi, or any other home tech needs.

I've found Chris and Jacob to be extremely responsive and knowledgeable. Most recently, both…read moreresponded in the early evening to help us solve an issue with Control4. Both were available via phone and text, and very friendly and familiar with their products. And importantly they both were instrumental in solving the issue (which was caused by another device, not the Control4). Ultimately, this is a level of customer service that we don't experience often. Top quality and as a result I'm happy to strongly recommend Pacific Wired!

I was having an issue with my Lutron RA2 system due to a IP address change. I was also having a…read moremiscommunication issue with the person I had regularly been using in the east bay. I called on a Friday and was transferred to Kevin who immediately started helping me. He set up an appointment for the next Wednesday along with a detailed email of what they would be doing. As it happens the miscommunication with my regular guy resolved itself and he came by and took care of the issue. I called Kevin to cancel and it was a no issue and no drama cancellation. I would recommend SoundVision based just on this interaction, and I will make a recommendation to whoever buys our house to use SoundVision for any issues!

HI Brian! Thank you so much for sending David to upgrade the…read moretheater! He truly is a sound artist, and the room can't really be any better! You should come over and experience what he did. It is absolutely unbelievable that sound and speakers can work so well. It's way better than going to a theater. Also, thanks for all you guys have done to upgrade the wifi and sound system in the house as well. I'm so glad we found you

Derich and crew know what they are doing and provide appropriately engineered and thoughtfully…read moreinstalled full-house wireless systems. Their commitment to quality and "bang-for-the-buck engineering led to a system that performs above our hopes and expectations. They are great to get along with (especially appreciated in an In-the-home" installation) and will not stop until all components are running at optimum capacity. Their tuning of the system worked really well - and I am glad to know that Derich can deal with my mission-critical home office systems remotely. Highly recommended.

I had been struggling with connecting my printer for days. I finally called Digital Living and they…read morecame out right away and I was able to print 10 minutes after the service rep. arrived. I highly recommend Digital Living. They are great.