It would be an understatement to call Stereoadvisor a speciality store. The gentleman who owns this business specializes specifically in restoring and repairing vintage equipment optimal for vinyl sound systems. If this is what you are looking for, he is a wealth of knowledge and very good at what he does. My most recent visit was to ask about a damaged speaker. I ordered some speciality wenge wood speakers that sound fantastic but the exposed speaker cones are irresistible to the touch of my two year old. He pushed it in and damaged one of the cones, driving me into a panic that had me scouring the internet for hours looking for fixes. My fears subsided when Mr. Stereoadvisor himself took a look and told me that although the cone was pushed in, it would have no effect on the acoustics. Otherwise I'd have to go back to the manufacturer in a foreign country. So it was mixed news, but most importantly I still have a perfectly functioning speaker that behaves as it should. If only I could say the same for my two year old... read more

I brought my vintage Marantz 2265B to Stereo Advisor after purchasing it on Facebook Marketplace. The receiver had two known issues when I bought it: the left phono input channel did not work, and the FM tuner was nonfunctional. After researching repair shops that specialize in vintage audio equipment, Stereo Advisor seemed highly recommended, so I drove about two hours each way from Fresno to have the unit serviced. When I dropped the receiver off, I explained the issues in detail and specifically requested a full diagnostic and repair evaluation. I also clearly explained that I work night shift in an ICU and asked to be contacted by email or text only so I would not be woken up during the daytime between shifts. Despite providing both my email and phone number on the intake form, I still received phone calls during the middle of the day while sleeping. A few days later, I was told that several capacitors, relays, and power board components needed replacement, that the FM tuner required repair, and that additional diagnostic work would be needed on the RCA/phono section. I was quoted roughly $500-$600 total including the initial $100 deposit, which I approved. About two weeks later, I received another daytime phone call saying the receiver was ready for pickup. I drove back to Modesto, paid the remaining balance, and was told the receiver had been fully tested and was functioning correctly. Unfortunately, after finally setting up the system at home once my speakers and turntable arrived, I discovered that the exact same issues were still present. The left phono channel still did not work, and the FM tuner still did not function. That was extremely frustrating considering the amount of money spent and the amount of travel involved. While I was given a bag of replaced capacitors and components, the original problems I brought the receiver in for were not resolved. The most disappointing part of the experience was being told the unit had been tested and repaired when the two primary issues remained unchanged. Combined with the repeated disregard for my requested communication preferences, it left me with very little confidence in the overall service experience. Based on my experience, I personally would not return for future vintage audio repairs. read more

I'd really want to give one star, but don't want to get filtered. Luis' biggest problem is that he is very arrogant. If something does not go well with his repair he makes excuses for everything and will call you crazy or insane. I took a nice vintage higher quality Fisher DD 300 direct drive cassette deck in for service. These direct drive players all have the same issue - glazed idler tires that inhibit take up of the tape. I spent $502.00 at his shop for him to replace the idler tire and do other service to it. When I got it back it appeared to work well, with the exception of tapes now sliding off the pinch roller and wrinkling resulting in a gargled sound. I emailed him within a few days and this was his response: Luis G Galvez Fri, Aug 2, 2024, 10:20PM to me The unit came originally with a high viscosity fluid in the door mechanism to eject the tape slowly, you will notice if you eject the tape several times, the following ones won't open slow, that is the way it was designed, the tape before didn't do that because all the fluid leaked on the mechanism and had no fluid at all, gargled sound is usually produced by bad tapes or tapes that had wrinkles in it; I had tested the unit for a long time and is working as it should Luis Sent from my iPhone I continued using the machine a few more times before getting involved with work during the school year (I work in education). In May I went to use the machine again and had now discovered it had no take up. Knowing the machine was out of warranty, I contacted Luis to see if he could look over it in good faith and see if the failure was something different or, indeed, a failure on his part. This was his response: Luis G Galvez Thu, May 8, 2025, 7:00PM to me Playing bad tapes is the number one reason to make the unit to fail, having the unit on top of the other units also make the unit to fail sooner, and another one is not to clean the heads and pinch rollers. We have recently received a lot of units for repair, please wait a couple of months to bring your unit in and hopefully we will have more time there, thanks. Sent from my iPhone On May 8, 2025, at 5:29PM, Miguel Hi Luis- My Fisher DD 300 has zero take up. It will not play any kind of tapes. I used it a handful of times only. What do you think went bad - idler tire? Can you help me? The repair was 502.20. Was hoping it last a little longer. Thanks. I replied back to his email and said I'd call him later as he instructed me. My Reply: Miguel Olea May 8, 2025, 7:26PM to Luis Thanks. The tapes I played are short tapes that are clean and free of debris and other foreign objects. Nothing sits on the deck as it's on a shelf. I used it maybe a total of 2 hours playing time in July. Today I tried it and it slips FF RW and play has no take up. I'm pretty sure it's the idler tire. I remember it was replaced with one that you made. I know it's past the warranty but was hoping, given the very limited use and the fact that you fixed a double bay deck the month before for around the same price, that you could help me with the labor on this repair. Thank You! Sent from my iPhone When I managed to call him and tell him I wanted to take the unit back he became very defensive and begin calling me crazy and ridiculous. We ended up getting into an argument on the phone and hung up. I left him with this email: Hi Luis, Just want to let you know that I decided not to take my machine back to you. Obviously it is NOT a good deal or relationship for the two of us. I talked to the repairman in Michigan, the one who fixed my other DD 300, and he is pretty confident it shouldn't be a problem. Even though his repair is a "lousy way to do things" it works! I'm torn about leaving a review on Yelp or Google. As a learning experience, don't be so quick to judge people or become defensive and start calling them ridiculous, like you did to me. Also, don't right away try to blame bad tapes, in proper maintenance, or even component stacking as a result of a failed repair. I only played a few tapes and the unit ceased to operate. I'm not the first to bring this up as I've read a few other reviews from people with similar experiences. Please take it as a learning experience. Miguel Unfortunately it looks like I cant get the last email copied and pasted b/c I'm exceeding my word count, but I emailed him letting him know that different tech I sent the machine off to in Michigan found his idler tire replacement with lots of oil on it resulting in slippage. He also adjusted the solenoid and replaced the pinch roller so it wouldn't eat tapes any more. I emailed this to Luis and his response was more excuses and finished off by saying his famous line, "the reason the other tech was able to repair it and charge less was because I had already done all the previous hard work." Again, very arrogant and cocky. read more

Stereoadvisor - invoice - Electronics Near Me - Modesto, California

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Barely did any work. Took my black gate caps and installed cheap junk ones. Put a polar cap in a non polar area and started to bulge distort and solder started to melt. Best of all said he wouldn't use super glue to fix my terminals.... Guess what he did. And had the audacity to quote 58x and charged 630 when I got there. Barely anything done. Other stereo shop scoffed when I mentioned the "Modesto guy" they already knew. Don't come to this guy you'll get scammed read more

Took two Denon receivers for evaluation. One was a crispy critter and not worth repairing. The other worked fine so likely the cord from the stack which i unfortunately did not have access to at the moment. Quick evaluation and very knowledgable. It was wonderful to find such a responsive repair business! read more

How satisfying to have a good amplifier repaired to "like new" status. Mine from the early 1980's is looking and operating like brand new. I dislike the new equipment commonly having blackout faces that are not only illegible but counterintuitive to operate. Luis did a great job restoring mine to its former glory. If you appreciate such service you will not be disappointed by his expertise and service. read more

Called Luis on the phone and talked about my TA1150 Sony stereo. I asked if he had a main speaker switch. I had repaired mine so it was always closed a few years back and would like to find a replacement. I also told him that the left channel sounded weak and that I would like a measurement of both channel outputs and the quiescent voltages. "Bring it in" he kept saying. Before I took it in I wrote on a Post It what I wanted = outputs and quiescent voltages, and placed it on the unit and then placed a piece of masking tape over the main speaker switch to remind him to not push the button. When I set it on the counter in his shop, Luis removed the Post It without reading it and as I tried to explain what I wanted he removed the tape from the main switch and pressed the button - effectively opening the switch that will not close with the button. Again I tried to tell him that the switch was broken and if he did not have a replacement he should leave it alone, but Luis continued to ignore me and talk over me and ask for $100 to examine the unit. This is pretty standard rate for a professional technician, so I thought I was going to get the report I wanted, at least I will get my levels measured. I paid him. Three days later Luis calls to tell me that he wants $277 to fix the switch. I asked about the left channel and measurements and he just said, "They're fine." I told him I would not pay $277 for the unit, let alone one repair and decided to pick it up. When I picked it up there was no report of the measurements of output, nothing telling me anything about what I had brought it in for, and now the main speaker switch was open and the case was sitting on the chassis wrong. I built my first Heathkit stereo in 1971 and still have it. I worked with my uncle in TV and radio repair in the 1980s and had full access to all the technical equipment to do my own measurements until 2010 when I sold all that. I know a little about electronics and customer service. To have Luis ignore my request for a report of the levels, open the switch that takes a bit of time to close internally and charge me $100 for the privilege has had me boiling since. In the meantime I have soldered a jumper across the switch legs - a task that took 10 minutes from the time I opened the case to the time I closed it. You can bet that when I find a parts stereo to scavenge the switch from, I will not be taking the unit back to Luis. read more

Luis is a true gem. One of the most experienced technicians in the State. Took in my roasted Fisher 450T and while I was there told me what he thought was wrong. $100 diagnosis fee which 100% goes to the repair charge. He was correct in the repairs needed and only took two weeks including ordering the parts. Unit looks fantastic, everything works great including all the face plate lights, and he even gave me tips on putting the system back together. He is a throwback to the good old days when pride in craftsmanship was still a thing read more

Very experienced owner with very nice equipment. Also very helpful to a novice. Purchaced a fully auto Dual turntable works great. read more

Luis is super experienced and knowledgable. He can help you if you have an older piece of equipment. We are fortunate to have his business here in our area. read more

Luis is a no nonsense guy. He is a technician. You have an issue with your equipment, he knows what's up before you do. He's been in this business longer than most of his customers have been alive. My old 1970's Yamaha receiver was giving me some problems. I am it's second owner, and gear made back then is incredibly reliable, so it has only needed service once in its life until now. I explained my issues to him, he knew exactly what was wrong. He even had a similar model that he had fixed up on display and for sale. His time for an estimant was shorter than quoted, and his time for repair was also shorter than quoted. I have dealt with another electronics repair place in Sacramento that took months and even over a year in one case to get any work done, so I think that Stereoadvidor is an excellent alternative. He also knows pro sound equipment, so that is another thing to take into consideration. It has been a couple of months now and my receiver sounds better than ever and has no issues. I will also note that there is an arsenal of great used vintage equipment for sale that is well worth looking at. As for my repair, yes it was a little expensive, but the cost to keep my receiver alive was worth much more than buying something new that will die in a couple of years. read more

Luis is an absolute magician. For years I had doubts that my 1960 stereo credenza could ever be repaired. I was quoted a short timeframe and an honest price and to my surprise, it was running like a champ when I went to pick it up. The dust, mold, and chipped paint - all gone. Sounds and looks lovely. I can play my lounge records once again thanks to Luis. Amazing work! read more

Luis Galvez is the gold standard in Northern California for analog stereo repair, sales and service. He has rare skills unmatched in the broader area. read more

Shoddy Repairs, do not trust this man with your prized possession!!! How dare you bring up my wife, as you ripped me off for $906! You don't stand behind your work, RECEIVER NEEDED ADDITIONAL WORK BECAUSE OF YOUR MISTAKES, PERIOD!!! I took my vintage Mac1500 to Luis for service for a $85 diagnostics charge. I was given an estimate of $906. After bringing the unit home I noticed a clicking noise in the left channel. I returned the unit and Luis begrudgingly repaired the problem. Upon receiving the unit the second time he informed me that my receiver was old and that he would not guarantee his work. If he had told me that up front I would not have paid the $906 in the first place. Two weeks past and the left channel start acting up again. I took the receiver to another shop for an estimate. Other shop: I have your diagnosis for the McIntosh. We have to resolder about 80% of the unit to address the issues with the pre amp and tuner circuits. This will take some time but totally doable. We'll also have to replace the transistors in those circuits. Part of this is fixing the original problem, part of it is correcting all mistakes the last tech made. Estimated cost of this repair is $585, including parts and labor. Once you approve we can get started, it'll come back good as new and quickly as well., read more

I spent years searching for the right technician/business to perform a complete restoration on my Sansui integrated amplifier. I purchased the system in 1978 and being in mint condition, I have never considered selling any of the components despite the loss of one output channel in the 1990's. I had found a private amplifier service tech in Hollister CA and he told me he could fix and restore the amp, charged me $300+ for his work, but I learned shortly after he didn't do anything but clean the inside and rob me of a substantial amount of money. After retiring from 50+ years of work, I was able to dedicate some time to obtaining the best parts package and find the few remaining options to choose from to complete the project. Knowing the costs were going to be high and the options limited, I found Luis at "Stereoadvisor" and took a chance he would be able to help and not disappoint. It was not easy getting everything set up and my gear transported to the store location however I am very happy to say that Luis did an amazing restoration on my amplifier, it sounds exactly or better than it did the day I brought it home in 1978. The cost was about the same as the price I paid for the unit back in the day, but I was more than pleased with the results and the help Mr. Luis provided getting the project completed. I would highly recommend Stereoadvisor and Luis to anybody searching for help with their high end components/systems. Disregard the few bad reviews posted here as they are not representative of the service provided by this company in any way, shape, or form. Luis is selective and cautious, but everything he does is done to avoid any problems and misunderstandings with his clients, and the costs are a reflection of the results you get. It is my sincere hope that this company and the owner stay with us for more years as there are very few options available now and even fewer that can deliver results worth paying for at any price. If you have audiophile level vintage gear that is in need of service of any type, contact Stereoadvisor and see if Luis will accept your project, you will not regret the results I promise but keep this in mind before you call, be respectful, honest, and trust what Luis tells you. Write down the details and make sure you listen carefully to what he says, you will not regret the results. Thanks Stereoadvisor for making this old rock and roller happy once again and to my neighbors unhappy with the volume and music choices you hear on a daily basis, don't complain, close your windows or make a request! Johnny C. Sonora California read more

Luis is very knowledgeable. He thoroughly repaired one of my monoblock amplifiers (Krell MDA 300). He even suggested the proper power-up sequence for these massive amplifiers, so it wouldn't starve my home power source during initial power-up. What a great place to get your hi end stereo gear serviced. Thanks, Luis. read more

Glad I found this place. This is a good place to get repairs done on vintage gear. He's a really nice guy and knows what he is doing.

I rarely comment on good or bad bussinesses, but on this one i'll make an exception. Luis at stereo advisor is one of very few people left who repair vintage stuff, I have taken at least a dozen high end items to him and he has repaired them all perfectly. One item, a Teac a3440 reel to reel, did not work right when i got it home, so i took it back, he had it for 4 weeks, working on it to find the problem, it had a very tiny cracked trace on a circuit board, when the unit was laying flat it worked fine, stand it up and it was intermittent. When i brought this unit in it had not worked for 20 years. When i went to pick it up he said "No charge". That's how dedicated he is to his customers. Yeah, workin on this stuff ain't cheap anymore. The alternative is to go out and buy junk made in China ! Keep up the good work Luis, i have some more stuff coming your way soon ! Bob S. read more

I took my reel to reel recorder for repairs. After 2 weeks I received phone call from them and they told me about the problem and repair estimate cost witch is $500 I told them I'll not fixed. It So I went to the shop and picked up my Reel to reel . I found someone from Craigslist and he come to my house and fixed it , the problem was just need new Belts . so he charged me $100 for his labor parts $20 . Now my tape deck working just fine without any problems . Luis is looking good men but on the mean side I received not good customer service from him . You guys have to watch out about his repair prices it's way too high. read more

Stereo Advisors tells you on it website that you should bring your equipment into the shop so someone can look at it. Despite what it says on its website, Stereo Advisor does not repair high-end speakers. In fact, it does not work on speakers at all. So, its website is misleading. If you take your equipment there be prepared to waste your time. Paradyme on Fulton and Arden isn't much better at customer service. Take your equipment into Paradyme for repair and they'll tell you five days. They'll forget about you until you call two weeks later. Then, they tell you that'll it will be another week because they forgot your order and the repair guy is on vacation. And, then they whine because you purchase your equipment online and by-pass the store. Two repair shops down. read more

Took my technics 1200 in for repair of an RCA cable. Paid the $60 evaluation fee. A week later luis called and told me there was other problems in a technical language I really didn't understand. He then told me the total repair was $322. If which only $35 were for parts. I was a little shocked as this turntable was purchased new during the last years of production, rarely used and never left the house. He said the internal wiring of the tone arm needed replaced. He then went on to replace the Rca and grounds. Did I need it? I don't know. I feel like my 1200 was held hostage. I paid the money and I hope the table works. It should. Essentially. Went in for a basic repair and was sold something that I didn't know existed. read more

I took an old Peavey Standard PA head to this place. It turned on, but didn't work. He told me that he would diagnose it for $60 and that the cost of the repair would be reduced by the $60 diagnosis fee. He also said that if the problem was minor it would not cost more than that. A couple weeks later he told me that he found that problem to be the capacitors, but then went on to tell me that there was a resistance problem in the amps. That it was putting out too much watts. I told him I wasn't too worried about the watts and that I just wanted the capacitors replaced so it would work. He refused to do the work and said he would only do it if he completely rebuilt the whole unit for $260. His rationale is that it could eventually overheat and go out because of the resistance issues.... I was not happy and refused to let him do anything further. I brought this unit in for the capacitors and he would not do the work. I bought the capacitors on eBay for $20 and had Skip's put them in for $75. The electrician at Skip's said these units are bullet proof and that they always run a little hot. That nothing ever goes wrong with them besides the capacitors. Unit works perfect now. I feel like I got ripped off $60 by this guy. I would never take something into him. read more

We dropped by there today and the door was locked. We knocked on the other door and the owner came out. We asked if we could look at some of his used equipment . He said he was on vacation until September. Go figure ? read more

Luis did some stereo repair work for me when he was still in Sacramento. If you have beloved vintage stereo gear t h at needs attention, look no further. Very highly recommended. read more

Luis was very helpful and did an excellent job fixing my amplifier - and went above and beyond to make sure it was done right. He even did some work that was not required to increase the durability of all of the connectors. He was also able to re-align the tray and remove the cd's that had fallen into my changer (due to my stupidity in forgetting to remove them before I moved) and get it working again. Expensive? Yes. But his skill and time are worth money, and he did a good job for the price quoted with no hassle - and got it done very quickly for me. You get what you pay for, and when you have A/V equipment that costs 5 times as much to replace, it's money well spent. Thank you! I have beautiful music again! read more

Luis is an artist!!!!! A few years ago when I was changing a cartridge on my Rega RB300, I managed to break off one of the leads. I was dumbfounded because what was I supposed to do? Get a new arm? Who on earth could fix this? I did a google, and low and behold STEREO ADVISOR not only showed up, but they were in Sacramento! I took my arm in and two days later not only was my arm repaired, he was able to strengthen all the leads and have been a happy listener ever since. WHOLE HEARTEDLY recommend him, and he is a really nice guy. I have a Marantz 2252b that is beginning to give me trouble in the left channel, so he will without question get my business. Thank you STEREOADVISOR!!!! read more

The micrphone broke off the end of the flex cable of my motorcycle helmet. Man, I don't want to have to send this all the way back to Italy (the mfg.) to be repaired. I did a little search and found this place. Called him and talked about it....he said bring it in and let's take a look at it. I did, he did and said he could repair it. That was two days ago. I took my wife's helmet with me to make sure the wireless intercom worked between the two.......it works great! Not only does it work great, it's much more secure than it was before (it was pretty flemsy before the repair). I'm very happy with it......two days sure beats the 3-6 weeks it would have been gone! Thank you so much for repairing the helmet microphone. read more

Going on three years now and my old Dynaco Stereo 400 that was repaired by Stereoadvisor back in 2015 is still going strong. I was a little concerned that the repair warranty was only 30 days but that's no longer an issue. Much of my system dates back to the late 60s and early 70s and Stereoadvisor is the place I'll be taking it if more service is required. read more

Update 7/12/17 The Sony STR 7055 receiver has been a saga. After buying this as stated in the last review, where Stereo Advisor did "$200" worth of work it started to only play in one channel sporadically. Then became permanent. Pulling off the cover NONE of the caps were replaced. Not the power supply, any of the electrolytic, diodes nothing. What did he do for $200? I can guess. $65 for accepting it and inspection which to be fair he said would go towards any repairs. That leaves $135. Not much room to do anything at that price. Spray some DEOXIT, blow some air and that's it. VERY DISAPPOINTED. In fact that's exactly what he was recommending on a high end receiver I brought in. Luis does not believe in doing a full restore and suggested only the power filter caps be replaced and clean the inside of the receiver. Cost? $500. This way you can keep bringing it back to him being nickeled and dime till your broke. Looks like he did a superficial "repair" on the Sony and sent it down the road. I've since sent it out to a tech for a full restoration. All caps on the tuner, phono, power supply, transistors etc will be replaced for $400. MUCH better. He has a philosophical opinion on repairs and I won't argue with someone twice my age. Strange, even if I'm willing to pay to have it done. He doesn't believe in it. His shop, his rules. read more

We all have things which raise passions in us. For some, it is Religion, for others it is family or politics or their drug of choice. For me, it is music. Music moves me like no other passion. I have an Acurus stack (RL11, A150 & ACD11) that is my time machine back to the 60s & the 80s, playing that ancient music called Rocky Road...or is it Rock & Roll ...or Rock Island Line--something like that!!! Acurus (Mondail Designs) was THE Budget Audiophile gear from the mid 90s The golden Age of HIFI. The trash today can not touch my entry level 90 gear that is more than 20 years old. So when one of my pieces is down, I go down...to StereoAdvisor and not the clown technicians like Paradygm sight & sound. Luiz is not cheap and yes, he has attitude in spades--but he knows his kempshi!!! Remember how Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead? Luis does that with ancient stereo gear that hasn't been around since the mid 80s, like my Dunlop Systemdek IIx. The man had a stereo shop in the Bay Area, retired, then opened up his little FLY SPECK shop in Sacramento!!! Consider this your hook up!!! read more

Honestly, I have a complaint about the people who have complained about Louis! I can't believe customers are complaining about paying a fee for a diagnosis and quote for repair. I am also dumfounded that customers think that they are being overcharged for repair to equipment that is over 30 years old when Louis provides a service that is so specialized and rare that you'd be hard pressed to find anyone else who has the knowledge and skill to do this work. The complainers seem to lack an appreciation that repairing equipment that is no longer manufactured is a service that comes at a price. If someone isn't willing to pay for repair to an old piece of equipment, then they are not cut out to be the owner of such equipment. read more

I purchased a vintage Pioneer PLA-25 turntable on eBay that needed a belt. When I received the unit, it was obvious the old belt had melted over the motor and drive shaft of the motor. It looked hopeless. Luis looked at the unit and quoted a fair price. He had to take the entire motor apart to get all the melted rubber out, plus he fixed the broken tone arm lift. I know the hours he put into the repair exceeded his quote, yet he stuck by his word. The turntable works flawlessly. I would not hesitate to return to Luis with any audio issue, he's outstanding at both audio repair and customer service. read more

Nope. His reply to my review is BS. The monitors were brought back in as soon as I used them one time and noticed they were still not working correctly. Volume is never turned up past 50%. Never had as much discussion about it as he's claiming. Brought them in the first time, he said it was one thing, claimed to fix it. Brought them back and it was, "Oh, the speaker must be blown too." Not surprising that HE doesn't want to own up to not being able to get the job done. read more

Louis at Stereoadvisor worked a miracle on my 36 year old Marantz 2275 receiver. He advised me to stick with old school bulbs (versus LED lighting), provided estimates for both light and major servicing in just a few days and had the work done within the quoted time (a week). The house is filled with rich sound again. Great service, reasonable pricing and quality work. read more

I have a MOTU digital audio interface that needed repair. The dc input needed to be soldered to the circuit board. Rainbow Electronics told me it would cost $85 for a diagnosis and, at minimum, a further $250 for the repair. I told them that no diagnosis was necessary, as I already knew what was wrong with it, but the woman insisted that they would nevertheless perform a diagnostic. So I called Stereoadvisor. The repair technician (whose name I did not get) cautioned that he did not repair digital audio devices. I told him what the problem was and he told me to stop by. He checked out the broken piece, quoted me an extraordinarily reasonable price, and said he'd have it fixed in 10 minutes. 5 minutes later I was out the door, repaired MOTU in hand, and hundreds of dollars saved. tl;dr: Stereoadvisor fixed my broken machine at a low cost and with amazing speed. read more

Wonderful experience: brought my old receiver from the 70's in for repair. Luis was very knowledgable and friendly. I left with my receiver repaired at a reasonable cost and educated on my own device. read more

I have had a few encounters with Luis. He was helpful with advice once, but when it has come down to having something repaired it was always too expensive. My last experience makes me wonder. I brought in a solid state bass amp from the 80's. It would power up but had no output. I paid the $60 and received the quote that it would be additional $190 to repair it. The estimate stated that 4 power transistors needed replacing. I refused the repair. I know what a power transistor looks like and could actually see the four of them through the top of the case. I opened it up took the number off the transistor and bought them on line for $10 including shipping. It took me 15 minutes to install the new parts, no soldering necessary. They just slide into a socket and that's it. The unit functions perfectly now. I don't understand where the $250 charge is justified. I'm not an electronics tech, yet I repaired it with new parts for $10, and less than 30 min. of my time. I would have happily paid a reasonable amount for the repair, but Luis pricing was not reasonable in this case. read more

This guy is a complete fraud. Do not give him a deposit. With us he never fixed anything and the amplifier was not even open. An older amplifier that he said would cost $ 260 to fix after our $ 60 deposit. He does not fix anything based on a real price. Just whatever he feels like. Beware of this con man. read more

Luis explains the mysteries of the stereo age patiently and persistently. His shop is a living, loving museum of hi-fi. He fixed my JVC turntable and gave me a tutorial on arm balancing that would have taken me hours of Internet searching to match. Skip the Internet, save your thumbs, go to Stereoadvisor. read more

I brought my Kenwood KD3055 turntable to Luis. He knew and identified the model when I first called: terrazzo base, fully automatic. I had brought it into two different techs in San Rafael, then in Petaluma. They each messed it up a little more. Luis did not make too much of a fuss, other than to tell me that it is a high quality turntable and has two motors. He said he would go through it and let me know if he would be able to work on it. A couple of weeks later we talked and he said that he could, and gave me the price. We went over a few of the details - including, I asked if he could hard wire in a new RCA output jack. When I picked it up he said that it was "100 %." Hard to believe as the last guy had re-wired the auto on/off to be a manual 'on' and the repeat button to turn it off. There were no automatic functions left - had to lift the tone arm on and off. When I brought it home, I played LP's: it was 100 %. Fully automatic. Money well spent. As a note, I bought the turntable new in 1974 (in Denver). Still have the box and the packing material. Brought it with me from California to Dallas for 7 years. Right now it plays like new. Luis, it's an honor. read more