I got a nice email from the owners of TS regarding the series of unfortunate events that befell them in February, resulting in my cartridge mounting job getting back-burnered, and not being able to notify me at the time regarding that. Bumping to a neutral 3 stars. read more

Possibly the best customer service I have ever seen. Nick knows the science of sound inside and out. When it comes to vinyl and hi-fi technology and information, he is as knowledgeable and helpful as one can be. I thoroughly look forward to doing business again with True Sound read more

Last week, I contacted True Sound about possibly repairing an Integrated Amp. Nick asked me to bring it over. I did, and he took quite a bit of time looking it over before advising me that replacing this particular type of Amp is a better prospect than repairing. He did not however charge a cent for his efforts. Moreover, when I asked him what I can replace it with, he and Lee were a fountain of good advise, and even sent me home with an Amp unit that I could audition at home, in order to give them better feedback about my tastes so that they could make a recommendation. I feel lucky to have found such an awesome repair service. A rarity and a real treat! read more

What a great experience. Really nice people, great service and really reasonable prices. Not surprisingly there can be a bit of a queue, but once they have your gear in shop the work is quick, the communication is great, and the repairs were perfect. I bought a nice stereo system many years ago when I lived overseas and it operated on 230v. Since I've been back in the states I've been running it off a transformer...which is less than ideal from any number of angles. I also had a couple of minor issues with the preamp selector switch which was buried well within the guts of the box. Nick took care of the amp and it's now working perfectly at 115v. As well he helped show me how I could convert the matching CD and Tuner myself, simply by moving a wire. I don't often write reviews but I really feel that they deserve some kudos. They enjoy what they do, they're really good at it, and if my experience was any indication they'll treat you right. read more

Absolutely fantastic service, both in repairs as well as equipment sales. Honest, fair and truly professional. Thanks, C read more

Great customer service. When everyone else in town doesn't even return a call, Nick helped me on the spot and for a really fair price. The turntable sounds great! Thanks again for the service. read more

I just called about repairing an old Yamaha R-1000 receiver and the owner Nick was completely honest on whether it was worth repairing. His vast knowledge of audio equipment showed just over the phone and at some point I look forward to meeting him and getting advice on a home audio system. read more

Nick rescued me from audio hell, going way above and beyond to repair my hopeless, antique, and ruined english loudspeakers, after their US distributor proved to be utterly worthless. Lots of work and headache on his part, and very little profit. A kind and knowledgeable man who I like and admire. He's got my back, and my business. read more

After multiple attempts to repair my vintage hi-fi with another "authorized repair center" I contacted Nick Gowan. He quickly isolated the problem and repaired my power amplifier quickly and perfectly. He is very knowledgeable, patient, gracious, and reasonable. It's rare to find someone working at this quality level, extraordinary. read more

I had an elderly Pioneer turntable with a missing stylus and needed assistance determining if 1) I could even find an appropriate replacement and 2) it was worth spending the money to do so (vs. purchasing a new turntable). Nick and Lee kindly examined my turntable and offered their advice, located the best price on a stylus, showed me how to insert it once it arrives, and even adjusted the arm to the appropriate level -- all for no charge. It was delightful chatting with them and I felt rather astonished at their kind, knowledgeable, and generous service, a rare commodity in today's world. As other reviewers have commented, they clearly care about helping people listen to music, whether on less-than-stellar systems or exceptionally sophisticated ones. Highly recommend! read more

I called True Sound today and spoke with a gentleman about if he could fix my little CD player. The on/off/selection of am/fm/cd wasn't working. I didn't get his name, but he was very nice and extremely polite and helpful. Took the model # of my CD player and looked it up and told me what he thought might be wrong with it, that the switch gets dirty and would need to be cleaned. He gave me a tip to try at home to try to clean off the switch, and also said he could try to clean it at his shop, but warned me that the solvent that is used to clean the metal, could ruin the plastic parts and if that happened the CD player wouldn't be salvageable. I thanked him and tried what he suggested and it worked and now my CD player is working once again. He didn't need to tell me how to fix it. He could have just said to bring it in and charged me for a look-see and/or repair, but he didn't. That speaks volumes to me! To have found someone honest and knowledgeable... what a find! I will definitely bring any other of my electronics that may need fixing to True Sound in the future. read more

It's been an absolute pleasure doing business with this company. Lee was extremely patient and courteous; her insight and knowledge is priceless. We also want to give a shout out to Nick - such a gentleman! A simply fantastic experience! Thank you. read more

Ah yes, please let me tell you about True Sound a little-known (no well-enough known?) gem on the SF Bay area sound scene! Nick Gowan and Lee are true connoisseurs of fine music & reproduction equipment; most notably Audio Note UK and Da Vinci Audio equipment. If for not other reason - you owe it to yourself to visit simply to hear what a system built around an Ongaku can sound like. A word about the equipment prices is needed here - Audio Note UK gear has a well-deserved reputation for being pricey - but they actually offer a wide range of equipment (levels in AN parlance) - and thusly are able to accommodate any SERIOUS music-lover's budget without forcing them to resort to felonious acts of larceny! With Nick's apt guidance, I have assembled a truly killer stereo system that I could have only dreamed about in the past. I am hearing far better dynamics, better articulated bass, loads more detail, and a gorgeous presentation that has me pulling out all sorts of recording that I have long neglected. It has truly brought new life to my music collection, and increased my enjoyment of the music by at least a tenfold factor. I must mention that if you love VINYL LPs this is Nick true calling. I would not believe how good records can sound if I had not learned so much from his advice. Nick has always steered me in the right direction, and NEVER does he come across as high-pressure - nor does he blow along with the fashionable audio winds in terms of the latest and greatest gear. If you are truly interested in the SOUND of MUSIC, then you owe it to yourself to pay them a visit. Before I close - I've also had equipment repaired at True Sound, and I highly recommend their services. His prices are fair - nay more than fair - and he stand behind his work. I hope that this is an adequately glowing review - as my appreciation for sound and music has grown much greater - solely due my to listening to what the expert has to say! read more

I had a half dozen boxes of records I hadn't played in years and a Technics turntable that sounded horrible and was ready to throw them all in the trash despite the good music that they represented. Instead I made an appointment with Nick and took my old record player to him for repair. Initially, he wasn't sure he could fix the variable speed (it also needed a new stylus, NP) but said he'd try. A week later, I walked in his charming shop and heard a Leonard Cohen record playing that sounded most excellent--it was on my reconditioned turntable! This after spending two thoroughly enjoyable visits chatting with Nick and his wife about stereos, music, vacuum tubes and the solar eclipse. I can't recommend them highly enough, as a woman I'm often made uncomfortable by audio geekdom, but they are all about making the system you have as good as it can be or steering you into a few strategic changes to improve your listening experience. I hope to hang out again with them the next time I need help. read more

Nick is superb. I can't speak too highly of his knowledge and service. I can't imagine I will ever go anywhere else again.

Nick Gowan is a classy gentleman that runs, quite frankly, the most professional and pleasant sound business I have ever had the pleasure of doing business with. I have brought Nick 3 pieces to date; a 2325 Marantz receiver, a Thorens TD124 turntable, and a C20 McIntosh PreAmp. Not only did he provide perfect work on all of these machines, but he also did so at an incredible rate. All of these units were returned to me VERY rapidly. Not only was his service speedy, but his price was fair in a business that is full of snobby crooks. Gowan himself is a pleasure to interact with; he takes the time to ask the important questions and you can tell right off the bat that he is not just invested in what he does, he loves it. Both him and his assistant Lee are courteous and an absolute pleasure to interact with. Gowan's patience, extreme wealth of knowledge, superlative work, and professionalism have earned my respect and deepest trust. read more

My experience here was about as good as it gets. Nick is patient and passionate about audio. He makes you feel like it's his privilege that you came into the store and "allowed" him to work on your gear. I might also mention that his shop is full of components and cables worth 50X what I brought in, but there was not a hint of audio snootiness that is all-too-present in this industry. They love good sound and Nick has the skills to let you get the most our of your equipment. When picking up my equipment, I stayed a while and it was my pleasure to sit with Lee and listen to a few of my vinyl tracks played on their fantastic system. Considering that they have a phono cartridge worth more than my entire rig (with a limited life), I feel I got quite a gift to have that stylus drag through my grooves a bit. Lee and Nick give off some seriously good vibes, and I suggest you find a good excuse to have them work on your equipment. Or better yet, they can assemble a cost-no-object dream system for you. Either way, they will ensure your system brings you much amusement for years to come. read more