I want to offer praise and a sincere apology to the owner of this fine high-end stereo establishment: Mr. Kevin Deal. Kevin, I am truly sorry for my as Jimi Hendrix best put it in his lyric "Music sweet music I wish I could caress in a kiss! Manic depression is a frustrating mess!" Yes, I got just a little too excited that night several months ago and just assumed that your fine establishment carried every limited edition turntable that I had read about in Stereophile! And too add fuel to the fire I had 2 beverages of the alcoholic persuasion. Plus, I fell which caused a sliver of my shoulder to be shredded off and my M.D. theorized this shard crimped my nerve resulting in the chronic pain leading to the PTSD which I still suffer from to this very moment. To cut to the chase: I am sorry for my behavior! While I do think that you unnecessarily exaggerated my bad behavior: 1) The number of times I called; 2) I don't believe anyone in credit card history has ever charged $64 million overnight in high-end stereo (If I had an AMEX unlimited I suppose it is possible! But then I would have been your best customer single sale ever and you and all your employees could fly to my Caribbean Resort and install the systems in every resort suite and the five floor Nightclub! Awesome! Or as The Mother's Frank Zappa said "Tinseltown rebellion!" Or better yet The Red Hot Chili Peppers "" It's made in a Hollywood basement!"; 3) You implied by your comment that I may have been snorting "the white stuff" which I interpreted as the CA favorite Cocaine! This too me was the last straw! Because believe it or not prior to checking my review it had crossed my mind to take it down anyway! But where I failed was that I should have paid attention to your further offer which was about handling the alcohol! What confused me was you just insinuating that I had a cocaine addiction while stating that you could get me in touch with professionals who dealt in alcohol addiction? Here's why I should have listened to you. In the months since posting my review I essentially tried to distract myself from the chronic pain by going to bars/clubs/dives until literally daylight like that wonderful opening song on Alex Clair's album opening song about staying up all night until daylight comes! And the end result is that I no longer have the $20 Gs for the dream turntable! I'm sure it is all sold out worldwide by now! And with climate change even The Eagles would not have a 2nd "Hell Freezes Over" tour! Ever! Joe Walsh rules! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Yes, all my song references age me severely! And no, I don't have a problem with alcohol! My family has no alcoholics. I mainly went out to distract myself from the pain! And I have never taken any illegal drugs, except for Cannabis, which is now legal everywhere in the USA and I don't dare even chew a THC gummy! $20 per gummy is a pure rip-off! read more

I wish I had shopped somewhere else. I wish I had read some of these reviews before my purchase. I can't blame Upscale Audio for entire problem but I definitely blame their customer service lady, Tamara C., for mishandling the resolution. I purchased a nice set of speaker stands which were $539. Not outrageous but not cheap either. I was impressed when I received tracking information the day after the sale. Unfortunately, they shipped "Direct Signature Required" and since I have a job, nobody was home at time of delivery. FedEx left a sticker on my door but it had a check that I could not wave the signature requirement. I received a 2nd and 3rd sticker the following days. I called FedEx and asked if I could pick up the package at their warehouse but they told me no and I would have to contact the seller as it had "special circumstances". I sent an e-mail to Upscale Audio but I did not get a response. I specifically asked if I could change the delivery address to my office but I got no response. I followed up with another e-mail to Upscale Audio but I received no response. This was beginning to grind on me as I had been waiting for a package and each time I contacted them, I got no response. I called FedEx to find out how to resolve the problem but they told me I had to discuss with the shipper and that they could not do anything. I decided to contact PayPal and put a hold on my payment. Within 5 Minutes of doing this, I received a call from Upscale Audio. But, Instead of the customer service lady settling my nerves, she proceeded to chew me out for contacting PayPal. I asked her why they would ship Direct Signature Required and she told me that I should have read their shipping policy. I asked why would I do that when all I did was buy something and my confirmation stated it would be shipped FedEx Ground. I had no idea that I would need to stay home all week just so that I could receive a set of speaker stands. She continued to belittle me and pointed out that their policy is clearly stated and if I would just have clicked on the link to read it. I got furious and had my Karen moment. I used some foul language and hung up. Regardless, I have e-mailed them and asked them to refund my purchase. I will definitely stay away from this place in the future as they have no idea how to treat a good customer and that is more important to me than the item itself. They really should change their name to Uppity Audio. read more

I've ben a customer of Upscale Audio for over ten years. They have a deeper understanding of HiFi and tubes than anybody I have ever dealt with, and I've been in this since the 70's. I found Kevin a long time ago when he was interviewed for an article on tubes. I know he's been interviewed in several magazines and even the New York Times. I've been to their shop many times and it is whirring with activity. I went there on a Monday and THAT was a mistake. Don't call or go there on Mondays! The phone was ringing off the hook. He said it is their busiest day. Even with that, he got me a espresso (his office manager actually) and they spent time with me picking out the perfect tubes. Their inventory is amazing. He loves to share stories on where in the world he found this and that. His right hand guy Jared is terrific and has been there since I met them. To the people that said they didn't get serviced, I know for fact that he gets many calls from people asking about tubes on E-bay and other calls that he won't answer because Upscale has nothing to do with the sale. I was one of them. I bought off Ebay and thought they were a bargain. They didn't work right. I asked Kevin if they would test them. He said they 100% don't do that on stuff bought elsewhere. But for me they did, and he told me to never ask again. He doesn't rescue tube sales gone wrong. I got ripped off by the seller. Rude? He's direct. There's a difference. He has to be. I know of no other company in America that does what Upscale does. Everybody has a question. When he has someone else waiting he's going to be short. I have found him to be honest. And again, direct. I wanted to buy a certain preamp. He told me it would be horrible because it had too much gain, and since it was new in the box there would be a restocking charge, and he didn't want me to waste my money. He tried to explain why, but I said I want to buy it anyway. Guess what. He was right. It took me two minutes to see it wouldn't work. . I just bought a pair of Sonus faber speakers from Upscale. They get show samples all the time and I saved enough money that I actually got the next model up for about the same price. The speakers were unused and perfect. read more

I have been following Kevin's yahoo channel for some time now and i have been impressed by his experience on all matters Hie End audio and tube audio in particular. Moreover I have been very amused and entertained with Kevin's rants about Hi End Audio pricing and industry greed. I was due for a complete system upgrade and I was sure I wanted to try tube amplification for once. I decided to call Upscale Audio and I was stunned by the amount of professionalism and customer service. I ended up talking to Kevin himself and I can tell you he is not one to avoid talking with his customers. His knowledge on all things "tube" is amazing and second to none. With his help I zeroed in on my dream system and I am happy to inform that the deal that Kevin made me was simply stunning. No BS but straight business with lots of fun on top! Contrary to most other dealers I had talked to Upscale Audio seems to have everything on stock and shipment was fast and precise. Everything came double and even triple boxed and I received everything in perfect condition. And I forgot to mention that on top of the deal I was NOT charged any shipping either. Due to a mistake (mine!!!) I ended up buying some tubes that would otherwise change the look of my Prima Luna amps. I called for changing them for a different model and Kevin shipped the new tubes immediately even before receiving the other ones back. talk about trust and customer service here! He even sent the new tubes via Fd-Ex second day without charging me, just so that I had the tubes and listen to me new gear. A few days after my initial purchase I also wanted to add another piece of gear, a new Pre for my system. Kevin made me another deal i could simply not refuse. All in all these guys are all for business and they do not try to screw you or over profit from one transaction. All in all, every person I talked to at Upscale Audio was knowledgeable, took over whatever question or issue I had and most of all were super courteous and helpful. Needles to say I am a life time customer of Upscale Audio. Great service, great advise, great pricing, fast shipping, everything in stock...are we talking about the PERFECT Audio Dealer? Your Bet! Thanks for everything guys. read more

I use Yelp but don't write reviews myself. But was buying a new pair of Sonus faber speakers from Upscale Audio and I was thanking Kevin when he saw a Yelp review from "John P." and couldn't believe his eyes. After he showed me I must say I can't either. I watched with amusement as Kevin looked up the purchase history. John R. bought a CD player over 14 years ago and Kevin made the mistake of fixing it for free since the guy bought a few tubes. He calls Upscale again three years later demanding ANOTHER free repair, and when Kevin said there would be a repair charge the guy goes postal. I'm glad I don't deal with the public. Let me tell you what happened to me. I've bought a lot of stuff from Upscale. At every turn it's been incredible. When I e-mailed Kevin about my speaker purchase last month an auto responder message said Kevin is out of town on his honeymoon. I was certainly surprised when he called me from Maui to answer my questions! But should I have been surprised? My first purchase was an amp my wife bought that I got to "open" on Christmas day 2004. My system hummed so loud I freaked out thinking I got a defective amp. I called and left several messages though I knew Upscale was closed for the holiday. . I got a call from Kevin who explained to me that it was only a ground loop and went through a thorough explanation of what it was and what to do to fix it for under a buck. On Christmas day!!! Kevin has so many customers I don't know how he stays sane. He is talked about in most every high end forum I go to as a recognized expert on tube audio. Same with Jared, who set up a phono cartridge for me to perfection. My niece got a tube amp from him and she was absolutely new to audio and he spent a ton of time with her. The selection of gear and tubes they have is second to none. I got some show sample speakers and saved a bit of change. I love Upscale Audio!! read more

I've been a customer of Upscale Audio for almost 15 years. My call to them was to buy some Mullard tubes. Kevin told me they would not work in my preamp well as they would not hold up. I thought he didn't know what he was talking about and bought them against his recommendation. I bought somewhere else and they didn't last 2 months and I wasted $320. I then looked up Kevin's background and as it turned out he is world famous for his knowledge. Kevin could have just taken my money but didn't. This is a company that isn't in it for just the $$$. I bought three different systems from Upscale Audio. In every case they had something special for me so I could get a step-up in level for about the same price. They have a huge stock. I wanted a turntable that was hard to get, as was the cartridge. They had it. Nobody else did. I drove down from the East Bay and was amazed by the gear. They set it up to perfection. Jared set it up and has been there a long time. He is excellent to work with. Recently I got the itch and was ready to drop some dollars on new speakers. Kevin told me not to waste my money as it may not be a step up, and MAY be a step down. He said wait 90 days for a new speaker called the Nola KO. I waited, and it was worth it. I love them! I read with interest the review from the guy that got mad because he didn't get a response to an e-mail. He didn't even call though he lives near Upscale, and he didn't send a second e-mail. All I can say is they are SUPER responsive AND I'm glad I'm not in business for myself if this is the type of person you have to deal with. Customers can be jerks. read more

I've been in the hi-fi game for the last thirty years but left for a time before 2020 due to multiple bi-coastal moves. Once I settled down and bought a house, it was time to reacquire a respectable stereo. I initially bought a pair of speakers from UA directly from the website without any consultation (after all, I thought, I know what I'm doing). The speakers did not fit my needs at all, so when I called UA to set up an exchange, a gentleman named Sean Smollon took the call. He steered me perfectly. Since then, I buy all my gear from UA through Sean. If it's a technical issue beyond his knowledge (rare), he's happy to say so and integrates another UA expert on the case. I've now purchased speakers, an integrated amp, turntable, phono stage, subwoofer, and cables from UA. What I now have is lightyears ahead of my former system and beyond my high expectations. I hand a ton of credit to Sean. He's never pressured me (UA's people don't work on commission); he merely asks for a budget then gives me a few options he would recommend and explains why. He's batting 1000. The guy simply knows how to assemble the perfect system for me. I consider Sean not only my UA go-to, but a friend. I always enjoy our talks, and the guy knows his music and film. If you're in the market for nice audio equipment, call UA and ask for Sean Smollon. If he's the wrong guy for your particular needs, he'll tell you and steer you to the right person. Couldn't be happier with UA and Sean. read more

Personalized Service is Alive & Well As someone who is guilty of too-often participating in the buy-with-one-click culture, I had almost forgotten about how rich and rewarding great, in-person service can feel. I recently took the plunge and upgraded a bunch of my components for my vinyl rig: Amp, cartridge, phonostage and speakers. I went in to Upscale Audio mostly knowing what I wanted and Kat was really incredible in helping me fine tune and feel confidant about what I was getting. She helped me understand how all the pieces would fit together. And yeah, she suggested a few possible upgrades, but I never felt upsold at all. Just like she was letting me know if I wanted to pony up a bit more these were some of my options that fit my audio and design goals. No pressure. Just expertise and a great relaxed demeanor. Really made the whole experience so lovely. And it didn't feel like I would have gotten any different treatment if I had been dropping 20k. I ended up having an issue with my turntable's ability to correctly mesh with my new Hana cartridge (amazing btw) and Justin and Kat helped me get to the bottom of it, going well above and beyond what they had to to solve it--even though I didn't buy the turntable there. These folks are passionate and caring pros who make you feel like you're getting five star concierge-level service. Ask for Kat :) I will be back and back and back. Thanks!! (System sounds amazing btw, just ask the neighbors.) read more

Bought an expensive tube output CD player with all upgrades. Sound quality? Excellent!! Needed service, so I made the 2 hour trip to Upscale, brought it to Kevin who swapped out a power board. Bought a bunch of tubes as I was grateful for the free service. At home it did not work. Called, and he told me they must have put in a "bad power board," bring it back anytime, and he would take care of it. I told him it would be a while as I lived 100 miles away. Well, I waited almost 3 years and called. I don't fault the guy for not remembering he said bring it back anytime. I do however, fault him for his haughty, arrogant, insulting reaction. I have a $1000 CD player that will sit in my closet forever. I'll never bring it to him for service and certainly will never buy anything from him again. I've met some snooty asses in my life, but I can say, even after living in NYC for many years, that Kevin takes the cake. Prince of tubes? A self-important boob. Upscale Audio? I'd avoid it. Most retailers will treat you well when you are parting with your money. The test is how is their customer service when you need something from them. Upscale Audio customer service is degrading. There are many high end audio vendors out there who will treat you much better than Upscale Audio. Quality of products offered: Excellent Quality of repair work: Shabby and careless Quality of customer service: Disgusting read more

I have purchased tube products from Kevin beginning about eight or nine years ago. started with the PL monoblock 7s. absolutely great product for the price. purchased a PL classic CD player used for under $1000.00. (not from Kevin) again, great sounding player. it broke. Kevin referred me to a gentleman in CA for repair. Cheap and effective. Bought the PL dialogue premium pre-amp in 2016. Took forever to break in. but damn system sounds so easy to listen to now. hard to turn it off. Runnin them into AZ crescendo mark IIs. Amazing. I have also purchased two full compiments of NOS and new production tubes for the above components from Upscale. Have had a couple duds. NEVER a problem with Upscale honoring warranty for replacement of tubes that failed early. and their recommendations have always had great results. My experience with Kevin and upscale has always been positive. and Kevin, a personal apology to you for being rather...well...somewhat an ass when the PL pre-amp didn't sound at all good out of the box. You even returned my grief stricken call from your car! You said calmly to wait and give it time. I did. you were correct. sounded amazing after some 3 months. will continue to do business with Upscale when systems warrants. read more

This is the first time I have ever written a review on Yelp (quite frankly who has the time to write a review about the taco they just had for lunch). However, I am compelled to write this review because of quality of the service and products that I have received from Upscale Audio over the past month. I am a newcomer to high end audio and these guys have taught me so much that I am truly grateful. I am fortunate enough to live close enough to visit their store in La Verne, CA. On my first visit Joel and Evan spent over two hours with me. I had an absolute blast and can not recommend highly enough to take this opportunity if you can. I also had several phone conversations with Joel. Never any pressure and he really steered me in the right direction. I could not be more pleased with the system I ended up purchasing after talking and meeting with these guys. I talked with Kevin Deal during both of my visits. He is clearly a guy who has a real passion for audio equipment and I could tell right off he places a high regard for his customers. He wants to make sure they are happy and end up with a system that they truly love. This place is a class act. read more

Bought and received EH 6CA7 "matched pairs" without delay...but. After *testing the plate current for each individual tube, there is a 20% difference. Swapped tube positions and the issue followed the tube. Bought matched pairs from another source and test results proved that the Upscale Audio tubes were not well matched at all. Very disappointing. *amp= hh scott 240 (push pull) *resistance accross pin3(output) & center tap (output x-former) is 53 ohms for each tube *voltage drop for tube 1 is 2.22vdc and tube 2 is 1.83vdc *plate current is V divided by R; thus tube 1 is 0.041 and tube 2 is 0.034 *plate voltage is 485 vdc for both tubes (pin3) *plate dissipation is Pvoltage x Pcurrent; thus tube 1 is 20.31 watts and tube 2 is 16.74 watts (dissipation) *control grid voltage is set to -41 vdc to stay within the tube's designed maximum dissipation of 25 watts. The maximum tolerance SHOULD be within 10% and not 20% as measured. This is unacceptable in my book but maybe not in Kevin's book. I strongly recommend everyone (or have a qualified person) test Upscale Audio's advertised "matched pair" tubes. read more

Having spoken with both Kevin and Jared I am very impressed with their professionalism and the knowledge. I initially contacted them to inquire about a used item they had advertised. Through my ham fisted attempts to get the names straight on two similar sounding yet very different components they helped me sort out which was the better choice for my system and explain to me why I should consider that component. the item was shipped quickly with a tracking number which I found very helpful as I am out in the field quite a lot in my line of work and it helped me minimize my business down time. That I always appreciate. When I received the component it was actually in better condition than described. I've found over the years that to be a rare thing and a very pleasant surprise. In the future when I am ready to make another purchase I will happily give Kevin and the folks at Upscale Audio a call. P.S. The lady who answered the phone was SUPER nice too and if I had caught her name I would thank her specifically. So to the very nice mystery woman thank you whoever you are :) read more

I purchased a VIP Super Prime Scout with Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC* cartridge and a Vincent PHO701 from Upscale Audio. I had very pleasant, no-nonsense, no salesmanship interaction with Kat, both on phone as well as over e-mail. I wanted something decent but not superlative and got good info and straight & honest advice. With tube grades, Kat actually recommended a cheaper grade for my application, because I did not need the pricier one. That is extraordinarily rare in any business. Follow-up was A+ as well. A small lever broke in transit, and a replacement was sent next day, no fuss, just making customer happy. When I inquired about an RCA AB switch, they did not have the one I was looking at. Rather than arguing that theirs is better, they actually recommended the one I found. One cable I ordered turned out to be too short, no problem sending it back and applying it towards longer one. And while other HiEnd stores charge list price for every last item, Upscale Audio gives discounts on accessories and followup purchases, which certainly add up. read more

I called the store on July 1st to order a record cleaning machine that is exclusive to Upscale Audio. They were very honest and told me upfront, before I paid, that they were unsure when they would receive the units since they were in back order. They already had 20 people waiting for them. You don't usually hear a sales person being this honest when trying to make a sale. They might tell you an approximate date to try to catch you; but not these guys. They did not do this to try to lock me into a sell. Instead, they were crystal clear with their expectations regarding the ETA of their shipment. I decided to make the purchase because I felt their positive intent. And you know what? They were very thorough with every step. And to top it off, I received my unit a lot sooner than I thought I would. I got it today and have already cleaned 3 records. So all I can say is I had a GREAT experience with these guys and I hope to make further purchases from them with the same outcome. Cheers to Kevin and his crew! read more

Just concluded another purchase from the folks at Upscale Audio. A big thumbs up to Richard from Upscale and Paul from REL who worked together to help me iron out a minor techglitch on my new twin REL 1508's with the Airship option. I also purchased a couple of the Niagra AC line conditioners and am extremely happy with everything purchased. It is absolutely true what they say about how good quality subs tuned properly will enhance the whole spectrum of sound and the stage presence. My system was pretty dialed in before I made these additions but the difference was immediately noticeable and very gratifying! In addition, Richard was very concerned that we get REL involved to match the proper subs to my restored vintage system and got Paul from REL involved. I appreciate that type of attention and will be using Upscale as my go to source for future audio advice and purchases. System photo: Harmon Kardon Citation 1 preamp, Citation 2 amp, and Altec 19 Clones in custom built cabinets. read more

My pandemic consolation system, acquired over the past two years, recently changed character. The system: EVO 300 Integrated purchased from my nearest local dealer one hundred miles from my home. Cheviot, SA-KI, DH Labs, and various tubes purchased from Upscale. About two weeks ago I noticed more bass and more clarity. (I usually listen in triode mode at moderate levels, much over 70db is painful for me.) No tube or other changes for several months. I guessed after a year of use the KT77's had fully developed. Out of curiosity I again tried the KT66's (Sean's recommendation). Previously I did not appreciate the KT66, very nice but not my favorite. This time lovely, clear, and "multidimensional." I believe this may be an illustration of how long break-in can take and how a quick judgment about a particular part of a very complicated collection of electronic machinery can be short sighted. The system has blossomed from excellent to amazing. Thank you! read more