Allen is trustworthy and great to work with. I tried to install an aftermarket stereo on my 2012 Mustang. I could not get all the features to work so I took it to Allen, who installed a head unit on my other car years ago. Allen was honest and told me what he could and could not do, right up front. He didn't even charge me after spending some time on the issue, because he said he couldn't make it work. Allen is a man of integrity with many years of experience. I won't hesitate to go to him again with future car stereo projects. read more

This here is the reason for Yelp to exist. I love yelp for many reasons including helping me avoid "cafes" that boil foam to finding that late night burrito in the middle of nowhere. But the real reason I feel Yelp is so important is it allows us to find the diamonds in the rough. Yelp helps weed out the bad from the good. It helps us realize that there are people doing business that aren't just in it for the money. That's where Allen and the guys at Sound Source come in. Allen, if you're reading this I just want to tell you just how fantastic I feel you and Sound Source are. read more

Needed to swap out the HORRIBLE base model stereo in my Jeep JL. Waaay more complicated than Crutchfield made it seem as a DIY job. Allen did a super clean job, including a complicated camera replacement. The neighborhood looks...a little rough. Don't let this stop you. Allen runs an honest business. Will definitely use him in the future. read more

I've now brought a total of 4 cars to Sound Source for Allen to do his magic for window tinting and dashcam install. Great service as always highly recommended still. Thanks Allen for the decade+ of great work and customer service! read more

The head unit on my 2013 Prius died (i.e. the thing with the stereo, GPS, and backup camera). I bought an aftermarket replacement on Amazon and installed it myself. There were no instructions. I got some features to work but I could not get the backup camera to work. I had a lingering concern that I did not hook things up properly. I called Allen at Sound Source on Wednesday and scheduled an appointment for today (Friday). After a few attempts, Allen finally got the backup camera to work. It took experience and patience, and I never could have done it on my own. Reflecting on the experience, I wish I had gone to Allen in the first place and did not try to do it on my own. I bought a head unit that has many features I don't need, so I paid too much. Allen could have recommended a system he was familiar with, and matched my needs, and it would have worked right from the start. Allen is very friendly, professional, and conscientious and I strongly recommend him for car audio work. read more

Reached out regarding the installation of a backup camera and was quoted $100. Decided I would actually install a new stereo to work better with backup camera. He said it would be fine but did not arrange what the cost would be beforehand. When I went in, I was told it would be $650. That's ridiculous. I asked again about how much the backup camera install alone was and he said $400. I told him he quoted me a different amount before of $100. He insisted it was $400. He was clearly lying and trying to take advantage of me. I left because I did not trust his honesty. He also said the install of stereo and backup camera would take all day. I found another place (MCA Car Audio & Alarm) that did installation of stereo and backup camera for $250 and it was done in under two hours. . Pedro comes to you. He's super reliable and trustworthy. Avoid Sound Source. read more

Came to Allen's shop a decade ago for a car stereo system I never ended up spending the money to install. He left a good impression. Fast forward a decade, and my Camry needed a new stereo w/ Apple car play. Went to Best Buy unimpressed and thought of Sound Source. I was blown away by the personalized service. Stereo he sold me was $20 less than Amazon, Best Buy, etc. Answered every call, every time. Installed perfectly, on schedule. And he's a really nice person who inspired me to write my first Yelp review. Wish there were more businesses like this. Honest, quality service. A+ read more

I found Sound Source by reading Yelp Reviews in 2012. Allen installed in our 1998 Ford Expedition a new receiver, new speakers in the front doors, and added 2 sub-woofers in a custom box behind the 3rd seat. This system ROCKS; included a separate bass control that made this large truck shake! We upgraded at the suggestion of my oldest son who was 17 - he and his younger siblings enjoyed this awesome sound system all through high school and whenever they visited. Now it is 2025, Expedition still rolling at 263,000 + miles, and decided to pass the truck on to my oldest son who moved to Central Oregon. Before I delivered the vehicle, I went back to Sound Source to install a wireless receiver to connect with everyones iPhones. Allen verified the 13 year old front and sub-woofer speakers were still in excellent condition, and replaced the receiver with a Pioneer DMH-W3000 wireless system, custom panel kit, and installed both USB and Aux extension outlets. The system sound continues to be awesome and now easy to connect our mobile phones and comes with Car Play and Maps. Great experience to reconnect with Allen after 13 years - still in same place, still providing excellent sound systems for vehicles. read more

Stop endlessly reading reviews and just go here already! Look at all the other reviews! We go here for a reason. I've always had a great experience at Sound Source with the owner, Alan. He answered the phone right away and knew exactly what he was talking about adding a security system, upgrading my sound system and fixing my broken stereo. With over 20 years of experience, Allan worked on my 1990 BMW and my 2022 Toyota Highlander without any issues. His rates are the best in Oakland, and he sticks to his word on when the work will be done and how much it'll cost. Plus, Tacos Sinaloa is right across the street, which is a nice bonus. read more

Sound Source USA - I wish you could hear the sound coming out of my car - Car Stereo Installation Near Me - Oakland, California

My buddy referred me to Alan who did a great job with tinting (and PPF) on his new Tesla Model 3 as well as countless numbers of his brother's previous cars. I gave Alan a call and he gave me a fantastic price for all four windows and a heat reduction film on the windshield of my new Model Y. Sound Source is a one man shop run by Alan in Oakland. Alan was a true professional and took many calls from me while I kept changing my mind on the tint amount (I settled on 35% all around) and dates I was free to bring the car in. I dropped off my car on a Saturday morning at the shop at 9am left to go home. About an hour in, Alan gave me a call and asked if I knew about a small surface level scratch on the bottom right inside windshield. I told Alan to hold off on the windshield for now. Around 2pm, Alan called me and told me the rest of the vehicle was done but should be left overnight to dry. I picked up the car the next morning and everything looked amazing. I highly recommend doing business with shops where the person you call is also the person carrying out the work. Sound Source is a great example of this. I would recommend anyone that needs tint work to come to Alan. read more

Sound Source USA - 35% all around with LLumar CTX Cermaic Tint - Car Stereo Installation Near Me - Oakland, California

Did you know that you should re-tint your car windows when you hit the 10 years? I didn't know that! We had this company tint my Altima when I bought it new in 2005. Recently, we realized that the back window started bubbling and it's difficult to see out of. So we decided to go get it fixed before we hand the keys over to our daughter. Low and behold... we have to get a hold new rear windshield. I guess the adhesive gets baked on and becomes impossible to remove, which then requires you to replace the entire back window. Since we also needed a new front windshield, we asked if they can replace both so we didn't need to go somewhere else. They were able to do so! Our Altima has faded body paint, so it looks a little beat up. But, the window tint gave it a bit of life. Windows look like new. We also took our mini here to get tinted in August 2021! The job they do is high quality. As I said, my first car, I brought to them in 2005, and the tint only just started bubbling in the back. read more

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Allen is the man! I took my Tesla in for an audio upgrade and he really took great care in making sure we got the best sound possible at a fair price. I Highly recommend his services! read more

Let me say that this review is long overdue. After having someone attempt to steal my car and destroying the door and steering wheel in the process I knew I needed to upgrade my security and have an alarm system installed. I was referred to Sound Source by the shop that did the repair work on my vehicle. I had read other reviews and liked what I saw. I reached out to the company and Alan replied back quickly. I explained my situation as well as my urgency in wanting to have an alarm system installed quickly due to my car being a popular target at the moment. Alan went above and beyond to assist me. He walked me through what he believed I needed and quoted me a price as well as a time frame to complete the work and he was true to his word. read more

Was happy at first, but realized he overcharged me and didn't do a very good job of installing my amp that he charged me $400 to do, even though he didn't have to provide any parts himself. Didn't even bother mounting it to ABS and screwed into my carpet. I was driving the other day and had to hard brake because somebody ran a red light. My amp flew forward and made a loud "thunk" sound. Took my car to another shop who fixed the issues. They also replaced the washer for my seat bolt that Allan never replaced. Anyways, there are way better shops that do far better work, for way less money. read more

I came to Sound Source to get tinting on my car windows. Alan is the owner and he's friendly and personable. He walked me through all the different options, including the tinting that is more visual than for heat absorption. He also let me know the legal limits. In addition to the back windows, he installed the UV protection for the front windows and windshield that with help with UV protection and heat absorption. It took him the better part of a day to install the tinting, Alan works by himself, but he did a great job. I'm recommend you to go their. For all the windows it added up to $650, tax included which is pretty reasonable. read more

Definitely an old-school one-man shop located in a neighborhood better know for its graffiti than its automotive repair. Since I brought my own gear, Alan charged me only for labor and one cable (since the one I had wouldn't work with my car). He boxed up all the old equipment and delivered the vehicle on time as promised. Would definitely use him again. read more

Allen replaced my 2020 Honda Odyssey stock speakers with Focal speakers. Top quality job.

You get what you pay for. Alan does top quality work. Audio system and Alarm system came out flawless. read more

Sound Source USA - TouchScreen head-unit installed - Car Stereo Installation Near Me - Oakland, California

Where do I begin with Sound Source, Alan, and his team. I found him via Yelp of course because I'm a Yelp fanatic. It's really the only place I trust to find the best service. This time I was also looking for the best quality. I visited Alan on numerous occasions. Each time I found him to be kind, helpful, smart, and fun. The first was when I showed him my trunk and I told him what I wanted. He said first you need the equipment, which I ordered right away. The shipping took a few weeks. When I returned to his location, he remembered my car right away. That's when he discussed the various options. I had a good idea of what I wanted, but I had no idea it would turn out this good. My only regret is not getting a stronger sub, though the JL3 does the trick. To get this done, Alan accommodated my difficult schedule and for that I am so appreciative. Weekdays for me are quite difficult when it comes to car stuff because I work full time. He allowed me to keep my car overnight on multiple occasions and also did work on it on Saturdays. At first I saw a rough cut out of the box and thought it looked like a piece of garbage. I freaked out internally. lol and behold, two weeks later, the pictures I posted with this tell it all. I am so happy with his install. What I forgot to include in the pictures is the control for the sub that he installed in my car panel. It is so seamlessly installed into the panel that it looks like it was built by Honda. I could not be more happy with his craftsmanship. His service is just icing on the cake. My girlfriend picked the car up for me so I haven't had time to properly thank him and ask a few final questions. I will do that soon! Thank you Alan. read more

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I thought Allen was fair and reasonable. I had originally purchased speakers to upgrade my Kia Niro EV factory mediocrities. I thought I would install them myself, but then worried I would mess things up and decided to hire Allen to do it. He was friendly and explained everything. He charged me $450 to install 2 speakers on the dashboard, 2 in the front doors, and 2 in the back seat doors. The audio sounds so much better!!! read more

I called Allen at Sound Source and stopped by to have him put a new stereo in my partners car for Christmas. Allen didn't have any car stereos in stock and instructed me to go to another shop, purchase a stereo and bring it back to his shop to install for $250.  I immediately purchased the stereo and brought it back to Allen's shop. He explained that he was too busy & I'd have to wait until after Christmas for him to install it. After the holidays I called & spoke to Allen twice and each time he told me he'd call me back, but never did. I called him a third time in the middle of February and Allen told me to bring the car into his shop. Allen took the car & we returned the next day to pick it up. When we came into his shop, Allen completely ignored us. He had been polite before, so I couldn't understand why his demeanor had changed. Then Allen asked me for $100 more than he quoted when he first inspected the car. When I reminded Allen of his original quote, he became irritated and told me to pay him $300, which I did. When I asked Allen to explain some of the features of the new stereo to my partner, he became more irritated. I was very surprised about how rude Allen was acting towards us, considering how patient I'd been. Hopefully his installation work is reliable because I won't be going back to Sound Source. read more

Above and beyond service. Alan even offered to convert my old iPod files into usable tracks on my new system (iPod is 2008). So cool. True to his word on everything too. Highly recommend. read more

Allen is communicative, customer focused, and honest. Top notch service with great explanations.

Alan helped me figure out what was wrong with my stereo, figured out what I needed (which was a part form a different store) and sent me on my wag free of charge. Awesome dude. read more

Amazing service and advice, Alan is looking out for his customer's interest, not his bottom line. He deterred me from unnecessary work on my car, asking me the right questions and explaining why I should not spend the money on it. What I ended up doing, which was not even the reason why I went in, was tinting my windows. He walked me through all the options and in the end I realized I didn't want any tinting at all, because now there is 'clear' UV tinting. Blocks out UVA and UVB rays! Whoo hoo! YES, I used to wear SPF, gloves, scarves and even a face mask, gotta delay the aging and sun spots! Of course I wanted all my windows done, but Alan quickly mentioned, I really only need the front and side driver/passenger windows, just three, not all 6. I rarely have passengers, he had a excellent point, a prime example of his ethical business practices. Thank you for detailed, meticulous work and reminding me people of integrity are still out there. read more

Allen the owner quoted me $400 for all the windows tint. I got 5% Limo tint in the rear and 70% the lightest ones in the front. The rear ones have lifetime warranty, the front ones do not since technically it's illegal. Took about 4 hours or so to get everything tinted but I tell you hwat it was worth it. Key thing you can NOT roll down the windows for 72 hours due to curing . I noticed a small bubble that went away by itself and also a small fracture line which was glue residue that Allen cleaned a week later free of charge . He is so nice that he dropped me off at the nearest bart station so i could go back home. So far I can't complain he's a perfectionist like me . Thanks Allen keep up the good work buddy ! read more

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What fantastic service Allen provided! I'm no expert but also not a rookie when it comes to car audio installation. I was that teenager in a pickup truck with the Alpine 6-disc changer and a fresh pair of 10"s bumping Dr. Dre - Nuttin' But A G Thang on repeat. Sound Source is located on International Blvd, near Taqueria Sinaloa. Allen helped installed/replaced a factory stereo in our work Ford truck. Very happy with his friend service and attention to detail. This is a super strong recommendation from me if you're looking for an automobile stereo shop! read more

My truck stereo was cutting out, losing sound when going over speed bumps, it was weird. I brought it over to Allen to get estimate and he gave suggestions on new stereo to buy online and he'd install it, gave me a fair price for the amount of hours of labour. Highly recommend his service, clear, direct, sincere communication and rates. read more

Another killer install from Allen. He installed Drone mobile remote start on my Acura. Moving to a snow state temporarily and Allen accommodated my time requirements. He's still the same great guy I used over 10 years ago , maybe longer. Solid install quality as always and great customer service. He's a class act and one of the few people I trust to work on my personal vehicles. I've personally seen the work of many many shops and Allen is top in Oakland and top 3 in the Bay Area. read more

I don't know the name of the person who helped me but he was knowledgeable and kind, and helped save me a lot of money when I was having issues with my stereo. Also responsive; I was in and out within 15min. Thank you!!! read more

alan is a very nice guy. he is the owner here and really backs up his work. I had to switch my deck cause my cd player stop working. he also did my window tenting cause I had some bubbles on two windows. he was able to knock it out in 6 hours and his price is really good. must go here if you need car work done read more

I just needed to have a new head unit installed in my van, and I called Sound Source to see if they could do it on short notice before I leave town. Alan was able to get me in within the week, and he was super knowledgable about what would be the best unit. The work he did was flawless, and even though there was additional wiring required that I should have made him aware of, he didn't charge me extra for labor even though it took longer than he expected. I told him he should charge me for however long it took and he refused, saying he should have called me earlier. I still think he should have charged me the full amount but I'll take it! Alan is such a great, honest, professional guy. I would absolutely come back if I had another stereo project. read more

Alan is the man! Been doing this for 20 years - quality work. When I wanted an upgrade to my Prius factory sound, Alan walked me through the options that would work for my budged. Just a new radio to drive my factory speakers, a sub under the passenger seat, and a good EQ tune was what I needed to get me enjoying premium sound on the road. He even worked in my steering wheel controls and backup camera. A+ would recommend! read more

Allen was a pleasure to deal with. I have a 1986 VW Vanagon. He took care of the radio install, but more importantly, I took custom door panels I had made and he cut out speaker, door handle, and window cranks and his work was terrific. After the install, Allen took me through the radios operations. He never seemed rushed and delivered amazing customer service. I recommend Sound Source for any car audio needs. read more

Great! My audio system was only playing through one speaker. They fixed it quickly and affordably. Great customer service.

Honest and quality service. Knowledgeable and friendly. Will use again in future. My car sounds great, very clean install.

Allen is the truth! Had a car alarm installed after an increase in car thefts. Allen explained the best car alarm for my car and installed it in just a day. read more

I first came here in February after getting fed up with some D-bag rifling through my car every few months in search of loot. I don't keep valuables in my car, and my windows/doors have never been broken, but nonetheless it's frustrating as hell to see someone's invaded your space (leaving graham cracker crumbs in my passenger seat too while ransacking the glove compartment). I finally decided I wanted to install an alarm, so I looked on Yelp and found Sound Source. Allen was really nice over the phone, asking me what I was looking for and explaining different alarm options and price levels. When I told him I just wanted a simple deterrent, he didn't try to up-sell me. I was able to get an appointment that very weekend and picked up my car a few hours later. He showed me how the system work and had me test it out, teaching me about the different functions. Fast-forward a few months: I had work done on my car and didn't know how to re-activate my alarm, plus something happened to the blinking LED alarm light in the car. Even though he was really busy when I called, upon hearing that I'd be out of town for the next week and my car would be unattended, Allen made time to get my system re-activated and the alarm light working. It's that kind of service that will keep me coming back, even if the neighborhood is (more than) a little sketch. Thanks a bunch, Allen!! read more

Bought a dvd/stereo from best buy, needed it installed &the guy at best buy tricked us &said it was going to be 100 at most. Went to get it installed &the lady was talking crazy about 200 for LABOR, excluding installation. Husband &I drove around East Oakland looking for a place &saw Sound Source conveniently opened, went in...Allen...SUUUUUPER friendly! Under 100 for installation, done within an hour? GREAT SERVICE. GREAT JOB. So great, this is my first review &I even made the account just so I can write this review! HIGHLY reccomend, &will be coming back for more services! THANKS ALLEN!! read more

Not that I had any doubt, but I got the work done on my car yesterday (subwoofer box installed plus amp, capacitor, remote EQ, and all wiring). Allen took the time to look over my car carefully with me to determine the best mounting location for the amp/cap and remote EQ. And despite me thinking I might actually want to upgrade the equipment beyond what I'd originally planned to have him install (meaning he would have made more money from me), Allen said that I should strongly consider sticking with the original plan because I would be happier with the results. I decided to trust him and I'm glad I did. The system sounds absolutely fantastic. He even installed some Dynamat under my license plate for free to keep it from rattling. One of the best customer service experiences I've ever had. I will be recommending Sound Source USA to anyone who needs audio work done on their car! read more