I bought stereo equipment from these guys almost 35 years ago, when we moved to San Francisco in 1990. You don't stay in business as a small retail outlet for nearly 50 years without doing something right. I'm currently in the process of upgrading to a fantasy-level McIntosh amplifier and working with Barry is just such a pleasure. I'm writing this review in advance of taking delivery of the equipment, because I don't have any concern that there will be any problems. My parents ran a successful retail music and record store in St. Louis, Missouri for over 40 years, starting in 1942. So understanding what personalized service is is built into my DNA, having watched them do it, and having worked there as a teenager. It may sound hokey, but I get a warm feeling every time I drive by that shop and think of how rare it is to deal with a business where you know people personally for decade after decade, who will always make you feel welcome when you stop in, whether you're there just to listen to amazing equipment and buy nothing, or drop tens of thousands of dollars. Thanks, Barry O'brien for carrying on a tradition that is sadly fading in our society: first-class personalized retail service, and in-depth knowledge of rarefied equipment. read more

I have been reaching out to Barry to come back to our home to finish a project. It's been close to three months since he was last at the house. He said he'd be back within a week. That was October. It's been one excuse after the other. And for the past 2 months we've had radio silence. So if you're looking to start a project or looking for support do yourself a favor - look elsewhere. Given the price point of these services, customer service should be worlds better. read more

First class service with a wide selection of products Parking can be tight but the experience is well worth the effort read more

Didn't get installation done here, but instead purchased a McIntosh amplifier and some Goldenear tower speakers from them. I'm quite a bit younger than a typical hifi store's clientele but Cary greeted me well and helped me listen to whatever I needed. I appreciated they don't try to sell snake oil speaker cables, and Cary was a pleasure to work with while I spent nearly two hours before pulling the trigger on the system. I could not recommend these guys more highly if you're in the market for mid to high end audio gear. The selection isn't huge but they have great gear in stock. read more

I bought two expensive big screen Sonys here two plus years ago. Two months ago my 77 inch ($3500) went dark with 4 red blinks and a pause (a code I've since learned (and Sony knew) meant the panel was dead). I called my cable company thinking Sony could not have a panel dead when I watched this TV maybe 7 hours a week (no kids, no video games, etc.) and thus it must be a cable problem. (Sony's later solution- I should ship the 77 inch 65 lb. 400 miles for Sony's analysis when the code told them their panel was shot!) . The cable guy came, confirmed I had bought a SONY lemon and said Sony and their dealers want TVs to fail after two years so you have to buy a new one. His advice: buy a roughly comparable LG at Best Buy with a five year warranty and still pay $500-700 less than you will for a same size Sony with only a one year warranty. I learned the hard way Sony's not what it used to be or worth any added price; that LG makes the panels for Sony and Samsung!; and this dealer won't or can't help you when you buy a $3500 lemon. I was told "be patient." Sony's customer relations "team" disconnected me automatically twice after being long on hold; and then after the dealer told me Sony would call me within 48 hours, I got a Sony email 48 hours later that said 'we're too busy to call you back.' I've since gone to Best Buy, bought an LG and expect no Sony-dealer headaches or runarounds. Think and research before you buy. Don't buy into the long out of date Sony "brand" hype. read more

I really wanted this experience to go better, I really did and I tried. I spent somewhere between 30-40K here for 3 flat screens, a whole bunch of triads, sonos amps throughout, and savant control. My house is in San Francisco and was a 4000sf new build. I worked with Art Jackson on the front end. I had to micro manage the pre-wire as nobody bothered to take notes or work from anything other than verbal plans. When I started to complain about the process, Art told me that they were used to higher end clients and were doing me a favor by working on a project without a complete plans set. Great, thanks Art, I owe you one :) The really trouble came when it was time to trim out and install. They really blew it here time after time, they would send one tech to the house here and there to trim out. I was promised over and over that they would get a full crew there and would get it done. [For what's it worth though, the crew members, Chad and Damian were great, 5 stars for them.] After the first or second time I was pretty understanding but eventually I learned that everything Art said was dishonest (except for when he told me that the Getty's were their clients and they wouldn't dare pull off that job for sake of mine). I asked to be rerouted to another person at the store in hopes that someone would pay attention a lowly client like myself. Barry took over at the 11th hour and got my project to 95% complete. Mind you, what was a few days of work spanned over 8 weeks. Since we've reached that 95% I've had a few hang ups and the project isn't quite complete. Getting these guys to pay attention to me is nearly impossible. I recently asked for my apple TV to be relabeled (as requested about 5 times prior) and was told 9-10 days. It's since been 3 weeks and I'm being told it's computer problem. I've about had it with these guys but they say I can't do anything because the savant permissions belong to them. My bad for not knowing that on the front end, I suppose I will be married to these guys for some time but I can't say I'm happy about it. So here I am writing a review in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, someone actually cares enough about reputation to step up and do the right thing...,, read more

I've stopped into performance audio several times throughout the years and I can tell you that Barry and his crew are rude and obnoxious! Especially Barry! He makes you feel as if he's doing you a favor by just looking at you. I've purchased a few things from them, but would never hire them to install anything. I like to deal with professionals who are interested in what my needs are, not their margins! read more

After my terrible experience in '06, I thought maybe they'd be better so gave them another try. The quoted me a ridiculous price to have my LCD TV mounted, then tried to tell me that my TV was "old anyway" and should be replaced (without even seeing it). I can't believe they're still in business. They don't even have a WEBSITE! read more

I am so proud of my TV and sound system, it is one of the first things I like to show off to friends when I welcome them into my house. I pretty much owe it all to Albert at Performance Audio, although it cost me an arm and a leg! Their team that set up the wiring and speakers was very competent as well. If you decide to work with Performance Audio, I recommend asking them to give a firm and specific estimate up front, on all parts and labor costs. read more

I went in on a Saturday morning, and their sales associate Chad spent quite a bit of time showing me their audio/video systems, and different combinations. I found him to be non-pushy, well informed, and extremely helpful. I don't understand the negative comments posted on this page, except maybe that the normal clientele that comes in here aren't the kind of folks who normally post Yelp reviews. I was extremely satisfied with my experience at Performance Audio; ask for Chad. read more

This review is based on my experience with Chad Fortner at Performance Audio. Chad advised us on speakers, flat panel, receivers, Roku/Apple TV set ups, wiring, universal remote set up etc...I spent a lot of time on-line and at high end stereo stores and Chad is the only one I have come across that is equally knowledgeable about HI-FI components and TV as he is with computers and the latest accessories such as Roku/Apple TV/ Game consoles etc...He is the only person I came across that installs what he sells. I have seen pictures of his installations at the store and they are incredible. In other words he walks the talk. Finally, Chad is not pushy at all and very patient (we have not purchased our system yet) . I highly recommend him. read more

Love these guys. I was a little intimidated, as I'm usually a bargain hunter, but my husband wanted a media room with bells and whistles and 7 something surround sound that he could control with his phone. Barry and his guys were amazing. They helped us put into words (and action!) what it was that we were looking for. They worked within our budget and even paused the installation for a bit while we could figure out a new employment situation. I'm not really a audio nerd (and no one there made me feel bad for that), but I do know that when my friends walk in and I touch my iPad and a screen and a projector come down outta the ceiling, they are very impressed. Took us a while before we could actually watch movies without marveling at the resolution. Also? I can touch another button and instantly get the "brownchickenbrowncow" mood lighting. Would I do it again? HELLs yeah. It's one of the best things about owning a home. Money well spent! read more

First stating, you get what you pay for. That said, if you want the best products (up to date entertainment electronics), service (both sales employees and really knowledgeable technicians) then go directly to Performance Audio. Many family members and including me,and friends have purchased from PA, but the really deal maker is the technicians that go to your home & or business and install the product. I can't say enough good things about Performance Audio, and the real kicker, their prices are very competitive. Do yourself a favor and go into their store in the City and see Al, Barry or any of the other sales people. They are very current on entertainment products and when the final product is installed, they back up their work with help if and when you need it. read more

Great selection and service. One of our TVs wasn't functioning properly four years after they put in our system. Barry spent much time on the phone helping resolve the problem, and when that didn't work (the problem was with Comcast, not Performance Audio) Barry came to my residence to trouble shoot the problem. He's knowledgeable, professional and responsive. I couldn't recommend anyone higher. read more

Barry & Art worked with us to do a whole home music/TV install. I can't say enough about their professionalism and level of responsiveness throughout. A fantastic experience and I highly recommend them - thanks! read more

Made a special trip down from Redding, CA to replace home audio system lost in Carr Fire and had the worst customer experience ever. Store appeared to have nice equipment, but customer service was horrible. We were never greeted or asked how we could be helped, to be fair store rep was on the phone. After the call we asked to hear some speakers and were told they weren't working and then very abruptly were told have a nice day and practically pushed out the door, weren't asked if we wanted to hear something else or anything. We were prepared to custom order for our rebuild and spend 20,000 in that store...NO WAY will never go back no matter how nice their equipment i read more

I like to support independent retailers so I went here. The selection is very small but they had what I wanted. I paid full suggested retail because I thought that I would get the support I could not get at a Best Buy type place. Turned out to be a big mistake. They treated me like they were doing me a huge favor by showing me how to use the remote. The people that they sent to deliver were reluctant to set up even though that's what they were there for and they stole some prescription drugs from my bathroom. read more

This review is based on the customer service I received from Performance Audio. On a friend's recommendation, I went in to talk to Chad Fortner about doing a fairly simple installation at my apartment. Upon entering the store, Chad and I talked for a bit about some of my options and he seemed very nice and knowledgable. During our chat, another customer walked in and Chad asked me if I would mind waiting for a second while he dealt with this other customer. I said fine, and then proceeded to wait about 20 minutes, just wandering around the store. I wasn't very happy with this, but I accepted it. Chad agreed to come by my apartment on his way home that day to check it out. Everything seemed good. He came by, took some measurements, etc. and told me that he would have an estimate for me by Wednesday (this was on a Saturday). Wednesday came along, no estimate. Thursday, no estimate. Friday no estimate, so I e-mailed him to check in and see how it was going. Never heard back. It is now 2 months later. Never got an e-mail, never got a phone call. That is poor customer service. read more

I've been shopping with these guys for years, both for my personal electronics, and for much larger systems for my company. They have always showed great profesionalism and knowledge of the gear they sell. The two managers, Barry and Al are especially great with product knowledge. They cover ground from great starter gear, like Paradigm, to the much higher end of audio/video equipment. read more

Good customer service has become the Holy Grail of the Bay Area retail scene, and is therefore something that I treasure when I encounter it. Performance Audio is not Best Buy, or Video Only, or Costco. It's a local, mom-n-pop (ok, just "pop"...no mom in sight) retailer in what I guess would be considered Lower Pacific Heights. I wandered in recently because I was in the neighborhood, their awning caught my eye, and I needed HDMI cables for my new home theatre setup. In spite of the fact that it was clear that my visit was a one-time, small-potatoes purchase, as I already had my TV & components, these guys treated me like I was their most important customer ever. I stayed & picked their brains for at least 20 minutes, and they answered every question thoughtfully & patiently. They "dumbed things down" for me a couple of times without making me feel dumb. They've been in the business for a long time & really know their stuff. I even asked them questions about my friends' TV issues & they were glad to offer tips, again, without a sales possibility looming. When the time comes, I'll be visiting them for my next major purchase. read more

These guys are great, especially Al who was my sales person. They did a whole house system for us, which I heavily participated in the design of. It's certainly a pricey prposition, but knowing the cost of equipment I didn't feel cheated. Labor is $90/hr which is a bit steep but they were extremely efficient and I didn't feel they wasted any time. As for Miles' comments, I think you went to the wrong place for your budget. In my case, the overall system cost considerably more than 2K, but I'm certain that I wasn't reaped off. read more

Very disappointed... We had them come out to give an estimate on revamping our system, it hasn't been working right and we wanted them to do some rewiring, remove some unwanted gaming things and reprogram our remotes, ect... I guess because we were not purchasing big ticket items from them they were not interested. I have emailed them repeatedly trying to get a response and never have heard anything from them. We are now on the search again to make our A/V systems work properly. read more

This all star team at Performance Audio can do magic for any entertainment room. I was able to outfit my business with the help of the fabulous and knowledgable Chad F. with the latest in sound and flat screen technology. If you have a few bucks to spend- go here...Best Buy may seem more reasonable- but in the end the sales people have no clue. If you shop Performance Audio, the installation will wield results that can be seen and heard! read more

They designed a multi room system to control TV, Tivo, Comcast dual box, Recorder, Video, DVD, MP3 docs, multi-screen flush screens, all of it is RF remote controlled, using inwall speakers and you see no visble wires anywhere except the totally hidden equipment closet. They kept a reference copy of the plan to answer our non-nerd questions and it has avoided many service calls. (Al is the guy we ask for.) When we make a big change (and you know we wil), these are the people we will call. They included equipment we bought elsewhere, along with stuff they beat other sellers on. Three years later, and we are still happy. My favorite thing about their installation is that it seems so simple outside of the equipment closet which no one needs to see. read more

These guys are awesome. Also HIGHLY respected in the audio industry. If you're expecting to be smiled and lied to like Best Buy, then go to Best Buy. I don't understand the bad reviews. If you know what you're talking about or are willing to learn, there's no better place. This is an old school outlet for serious people into serious audio. Not sure how you could give these guys a 1 unless they totally f'd you over. I've only worked with Cary and he's GOLDEN. Honest days work for an honest days pay. read more

Barry and the guys rock These guys know their stuff. Amazing service they do a top quality job AND every system they have done for us works great. They are also great at adding & programing automation!! read more

I have been going to this place for nearly twenty years - more often to browse and get advice than purchase. Every time I have gone, they have always had time for my questions and never tried to sell me anything beyond my budget or when I wasn't ready to buy. About six years ago they installed a fantastic home theater system which we love and even though I haven't really bought anything since, they still treat me like one of their favored customers. Just today I went in for advice about a bad coax cable. They showed me how to use a special tool, and had the right parts I needed. Finally, they are not the arrogant sort you often meet in high end audio/video shops. Alberto, Barry, Cary and Chet are the best! read more

I recently bought a new CD player from Performance Audio because I thought my current one had developed a defect. The old unit turned out to be fine, after I had already set up the new one, and Barry accepted the recent purchase, open box and all, for a full refund with a smile and no questions asked. Can't recommend him and his store highly enough! read more

I bought a pair of Vandersteen 2CE Signature II speakers together with Peachtree Decco65 amp and Rocket wires to go with them. Cary Maures was very helpful in the audition and selection process when my wife and I visited the show room. WE listened to our favorite CDs while they left us alone to test and compare. I also got a good deal including delivery to my home in San Jose. I am really enjoying my new set up and rediscovering my music collection. I highly recommend them and will go there if I upgrade or add another system. read more

The majority of my praise goes to Chad who did our installation. He was thoughtful, detailed and creative, and our arrangement ended up looking and sounding much better than we had planned or hoped for! We also got good support and flexibility from the store. For example, they ran another mounting rack out to us during the installation when we discovered that one of the originals was not going to work in our space. It was fairly expensive to have a professional do all the work, but the difference between what Chad accomplished and the mess I would have made was well worth it. We couldn't be happier with how well it was all accomplished. read more

Knowledgable, hmm, I am not sure. Maybe for the products they sell all the time but when asked if they had a specific product, they just gave me attitude. They told me it wouldn't work and didn't even try to suggest an alternate solution (Turns out it does work). Maybe if I had bought all my original gear there, I would have had a better experience but that's not how you win new customers over. read more

My Daughter wanted some headphones and asked me what she should get I suggested grados. This was on the evening of 12-23 and I thought I would get them for her for christmas and checked them out on the internet and almost ordered them when I remembered Barry owned a store in SF so I called him to see if he stocked the SR80i and he did. Since it was Christmas Eve he said he was closing at 3pm so I rushed over to get them. When I got there they were selling them for the same price as Amazon and I got to support a local retailer.I realize this was a tiny sale for them but I was still treated well and Barry even showed me some very nice speakers and amp. Thank You Barry read more

I recently moved into the neighborhood and was looking for a video and audio specialist. While browsing the Pioneer website, Performance Audio came up on their list of premium retailers for their products. I was in the market for a Pioneer Elite plasma which are currently hard to find. I called up and spoke with Cary and asked if he had any available. He invited me to the showroom to see the plasma on display and said he can order me one. Long story short, Cary had great professionalism and ordered me the hard to find plasma at a better deal than Best Buy, Amazon, and Magnolia! He even stored it in his warehouse for me until I was ready to pick it up. The group of individuals that work here are great at communicating the latest technology and will give you great service for your product. I highly recommend them! read more

I stopped by Performance Audio to check out some speakers at around 5:30 on a Sunday, about half an hour before closing time. I was greeted by Chad who immediately led me into one of their listening rooms to demo a few speakers. I felt bad that I was there so close to closing time, but Chad was extremely patient. Around 6, I told him that if he needed to kick me out to close up, to please do so. His response? "Let me show you one more thing." We went into another, larger room, where he proceeded to demo some Vandersteen speakers for me which were AMAZING! I stayed until 7, and hour after closing time while he explained to me in detail about the speakers, how they were made, what made them great and let me listen to them with my own music, going so far as to switch amps around so I could see what they would sound like with something closer to my budget. Chad was extremely knowledgeable, very patient, and obviously enjoys what he does. I later found out that these guys deal with very high end, and very expensive installations that are up to 50 times the amount of money I can afford. Given how "small potatoes" I am compared to some of their other customers, I especially appreciate the customer service. A few days later, I emailed Chad a question I had, and his response was quick and friendly. I have yet to make a purchase as I want to check out some other speaker models first, but when I'm ready to buy, Performance Audio will be my first pick. read more

Over the past 15 years, Performance Audio has installed complete high-end music and video systems for us in homes in the Bay Area, New York City, and Hawaii. They are the most knowledgable, honest, straight-shooting audio dealer we have encountered in fifty years of dealing with audio, and we chose them over several famous dealers in Manhattan to do our NY apartment. Their installation/technical department is outstanding, and will provide any amount of support required to deal with problems. They carry a wide range of products at various price points, and work well with customers' budget requirements. They have exceeded our expectations every time, and as long as they are in business we will deal with no other dealer. read more

Barry O'Brien, the owner of Performance Audio, was a huge help. I came in with a tight budget and just seeking some advice and he treated me well regardless. He was very helpful and gave me honest, straightforward advice. I ended up buying some great speakers that fit my budget and my system. I ended up going back several times just for advice and he again took the time to help me out. As a result, I also ended up buying another nice piece of equipment from them that was also on budget. Barry even took the time to sort through his box of old remotes to find one for my receiver that I didn't even buy from them. I will go back next time, no question. read more

Love these guys. We primarily worked with Chad, but everyone that we interacted with was excellent. We did a major remodel on our home in SF and wanted to have a Sonos system throughout in addition to installing tv's with surround sound. The professionals at Performance worked with us through the entire process- from the wiring to the installation. They used some of our existing equipment and gave us great prices on the new items we needed. They have come back promptly when we've had a few hiccups. Couldn't recommend them more. read more

I came in to listen to a specific pair of speakers. The salesmen were very helpful, not pushy and didn't try to up-sell me. Would definitely do business here again. read more

I went in to buy speaker wire and banana plugs to test an old stereo. They gave me the speaker wire, and a good price on the plugs. Very helpful place. read more

Customer Service is great! I had only 1 day when I could pick my order and the shop was closed due to Labor Day, but Chad knowing that I had just one day, put my heavy box in his car a day ahead and dropped it off at my house on his day off! I wish Performance Audio many many happy and prosperious years to come! read more