First...a backstory: For Christmas, I wanted to install my "old" enclosed dual subwoofer system with a brand new amp in my girlfriend's car. She's a bass junkie...and I wanted to get it all done right. Stupidly, I went to Best Buy...paid $250, waited 8.5 hours at the Barnes & Noble next door, and then eventually drove away WITHOUT the subwoofers working. The "expert" at Best Buy told me that my brand new amp was, "without a doubt", faulty. I re-ordered another brand new replacement amp from Amazon, and rescheduled an appointment with this corporate wage-slave again so he could install the new one once it arrived a few days later...
In the meantime, since I highly suspected the Best Best guy was in fact a moron...I started troubleshooting each component of the system he installed. After finding several flaws in the install job (please read my Best Buy Glendora Review if you want details), I decided to go buy a few parts to see if I could fix the error myself. The closest place to my house was Mission Audio...
I pulled in, asked for a small cable terminal that I needed, and he immediately gave me the part, and wasn't going to charge me for it. I imagined the hours of work I had ahead of me trying to troubleshoot the problem as an amateur...and decided to give this professional a shot instead. I explained my ordeal with Best Buy, and asked if he could diagnose the problem. Within about FOUR freaking minutes...this guy had tested my subs, tested my amp (with a multimeter), and tested the RCA input into the amp from the head unit (which was the problem). Best Buy took 8.5 hours to incorrectly install my amp and subwoofers (and incorrectly diagnose the problem with their BS installation)...but THE GUY AT MISSION AUDIO FIGURED OUT THE PROBLEM IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES.
Apparently the RCA connection from the stereo's head unit wasn't outputting ANY sound...because the tap into the connection wasn't complete! The Mission Audio guy tapped into the existing subwoofer's speaker cable line with a clean connection (because it had more signal strength there), installed a high to low converter, ran the line with clean, invisible cables back to the amp under my seat, and within minutes had the entire garage at Mission Audio bumping with BASS!
He and his assistant then tuned the amp and bolted it down properly, double checked all the connections throughout the entire car (especially ensuring that the power and ground connections were secure and safe), cleaned up everything...and vacuumed.
I had my problem diagnosed, fixed, tuned and polished...in less than 30 minutes. It was clear to me that if I had Mission Audio do the entire job (install the power cable from the car battery as well), he probably could have had the whole thing done in an hour. It is obvious while watching this guy, that he has been doing this for the 18 years he claims he has been doing car audio. His movements are deft, decisive and FAST...and his assistant follows him around the car with a bag of tools...ready to hand him whatever he needs...it's like watching a world renowned surgeon on an operating table..."screwdriver, please...multimeter, please...vacuum, please."
For car audio problems or installs, I will never go to any other place but Mission Auto ever again. I don't write alot of reviews, but this guy inspired me to let others know about his shop...I sure as hell wish I knew about it before driving my dumb ass to Best Buy!
PS...my girlfriend LOVES her new system! Thank you so so much Mission Audio! read more