Austin Stereo Service — Attraction in Austin

My son's Audio-Technica turntable (AT-LP120XUSB) was sounding distorted, even though it was brand new (couple months old). Took it first to another place that seemed to just give us the brush-off. Charged us $30 to look at it just to say "nothing wrong with it they could find". Wanted a second opinion, so we took it next to Austin Stereo Service. Here's what happened next...

First off, even though all these shops are "mom and pop" (the few repair shops that do remain), the first one we went to looked literally like a run-down shack (even though I'd read respectable if not glowing reviews, and a reputable record store recommended them). Austin Stereo Service, just from the outside storefront to the inside, looks a lot cleaner and nicer. The door was literally open for us, and we were greeted by a very friendly gentleman named Max. Even though Max told us Austin Stereo Service doesn't typically service Audio-Technica brand turntables, he still gave us SEVERAL MINUTES of his time (granted, it was a slow day, but still...) to go over everything he could in general terms. He checked the connections. He checked the cartridge alignment. Tracking force. Anti-skate. Finally he examined the stylus itself with a magnifier and found a sizable "dust bunny" that somehow eluded the first shop. Took the time to give us advice on proper stylus and record cleaning. And recommended another repair shop that does handle Audio-Technica's if we have any further problems (happily enough, there was no more distortion when we got home and hooked it back up!). AND didn't charge us for all this. But I tell you, after this experience, if I did have a serious problem (with a non-Audio-Technica product), I wouldn't hesitate to get my repair done at Austin Stereo Service! Thanks so much Max!

By the way, if you guys did fix Audio-Technica tables, you'd do even more business, as that's a popular brand these days (the 120 series in particular is one of the best-selling as it resembles the old Technics 1200 series in style and function). And finally, this same thing actually happened to an older 120 (non-X model) my son had, and we had just made a claim on our Geek Squad protection plan. They just gave us store credit and we got the 120X model, and after two months or so it had the same issue. But this time instead of just getting another turntable, we decided to take it to a real repair shop to get to the bottom of it. So you see, local repair shops are still valuable, because the big box retailers often don't bother finding the root cause of problems; rather, they just figure it's easier to replace and not ask questions, but you can still have recurring problems. Long live local shops like Austin...

Before I left Grapevine I had a 1970s Technics turntable repaired. The vinyl sounded OK but something wasn’t just right — I figured my “analog” ears were out of tune after years of digital and, now, streaminng music. A short while later one channel disappeared. After arriving in Austin I fortuitously drove by Austin Stereo and, later, brought the turntable by for a look-see. Turns out 13 capacitors were in need of replacement. Had the original repair shop found these, I could have saved at least a hundred bucks. Doesn’t matter anymore: Austin Stereo repaired and the turntable sounds amazing. The issue wasn’t my old “analog” ears but old, failing equipment in need of repair by someone who knows what the heck he’s doing.

My advice: Spend a few minutes visiting with the owner (if he ever comes out from the back of the shop) and the super-knowledgeable help (sorry, names escape me). You’ll be amazed what you learn about equipment you own and may want to repair or vintage components you may want to purchase — as well as today’s box-store equipment. You’ll also learn how they approach repairs, which certainly would have helped the one-star reviewer here. After reading the thrashing, and before reading the owner’s response, I already knew what the owner would say. Sure enough, had the disgruntled customer listened, he would have known why his repair was rejected. I bring this up for this reason: I trust the experience and opinions of Austin Stereo from my first-hand encounters with them. This extends beyond repair to understanding older equipment, sales (what they sell), and pricing.

My “analog” ears are...

My first experience with these guys was a phone call I made to outline my dilemma of connecting my REL sub woofer to my Naim amp. I was weighing a couple of options - neither of them especially simple - to optimize the performance of the sub woofer. I was impressed with Mike's knowledge and his questions indicated he was listening closely to my description of my connection challenge so the next day I drove to the Austin Stereo store. I brought my REL connection cable and owner's manual. Ryan, Joe and Mike all looked closely at the REL owner's manual, cable, and pictures I took of my room and system. After discussing multiple connection options, they recommended a simple but effective connection at the speaker instead of the amp. They adjusted the sheath on my sub woofer cable and butterflied the wires so I could make a connection to each speaker w/o buying a new cable. And they didn't charge me for their work, input or time! I would highly recommend Mike, Joe and Ryan as expert audio resources and great guys to do...