Herndon Audio — Local services in Albuquerque

Since my wife and I are spending time at home during this covid-19 pandemic, we are listening to music and watching movies more.

I decided this was an appropriate time to begin upgrading our AV system.

I believed that identifying and purchasing a new set of high-performance cables for the multichannel audio outputs on my OPPO UDP 205 would be the first upgrade I wanted.

Like many audiophiles today, I got on the web and researched, eventually focusing on a small business not too far from ABQ, in West Texas.

Purist Audio Design (PAD) actually designs and handcrafts its own range of affordable high-performance audio cables. Just what I was looking for.

PAD’s website helped me find a local source for its cables in ABQ, a small business called Herndon Audio.

I called Herndon Audio early on a Monday morning, about 8am, thinking I would leave VM and see if anyone would get back to me. That’s when I made contact with Herndon Audio’s owner, Brian Herndon.

Brian immediately picked-up my call. He said, “No, it’s not too early. How can I help you?”

I told him how I managed to end up calling Herndon Audio, and that I was interested in upgrading to PAD high-performance multichannel audio cables.

Brian is a pleasant person, easy to talk to, and he took the time to ask the right questions, assess my plan, and make PAD cable recommendations that matched my interests.

It didn’t take long to understand that Brian is the local audiophile businessman/owner I was looking for.

Brian Herndon is an electrical engineer who wisely runs Herndon Audio out of his home. He provided me with not only clear, direct, correct information. He did it in a professional way, with a personal touch.

Brian recommended several grades of PAD’s range of audio and AC cables. He suggested I pick them up, take them home, and give them test runs in different combinations, which I did.

My wife and I were impressed with the increased range of the fidelity of music we heard while we listened during our testing of the different PAD cables and AC cords over several days.

We heard musical notes and a depth which were not audible with my older cables. That’s the long story.

The short story is I invested in the PAD audio cables and AC cords. Also, I plan to work with Herndon Audio and Brian again on future upgrades.

That’s the highest recommendation I can give to any small, local business and businessperson — to be a...

I’ve been a client of Brian Herndon for going on 20 years. Brian is my go-to expert for all-things audio and video. I first met Brian while shopping for a Reference Quality audio system that would provide me an experience as close to live music as possible. He helped me select and purchase my current system comprised of Krell monoblock power amps, preamp, CD transport, and Bowers and Wilkins Signature loudspeakers, and then flew out to my residence in San Francisco to set it up and dial it in so that it sounds perfect. Even today, the system that he put together for me stands up to anything in its’ class. Brian has a deep technical knowledge and a very discerning ear and I have learned a lot from him about what to listen for when evaluating sound quality.

Brian also assisted me in the selection and purchase of a second, smaller, more cost-conscious audio system for use in my small apartment in New Mexico. He recommended Elac loudspeakers and I was both surprised and thoroughly impressed by the quality of the sound I could get from such an affordable loudspeaker. Brian also advised me to use my existing, older Marantz power amp and Denon CD player vs. purchasing something new from him, which I was grateful for as he saved me money that I thought I was going to have to spend.

Last month I asked Brian to help my good friend select, purchase, and set up a new music audio and home theater system. In addition to high quality music listening, they also wanted a state-of-the-art system that would utilize streaming audio and video, video conferencing, and all controlled by their iPhone. The system looks and sounds great, was very affordable for the high quality that it is, and the ease of operating the entire system with an iPhone is enjoyable.

In addition to his unparalleled technical knowledge, his decades of experience, and his highly discerning ear, Brian genuinely cares about his client’s satisfaction with both the products that he represents and the services that he provides. He routinely follows up with me after the project is completed to ensure that everything is working and sounding great, and that I am still happy with my audio and video systems he recommended...

I just bought a pair of Magico S5 Mk2 speakers from Brian at Brian Herndon Audio and Brian made it a great experience. This is the first time I had dealt with Brian and I would now recommend Brain as the go-to person for anyone’s high-end audio needs for several reasons. First, Brian is just an easy and interesting person to talk to. He is an electrical engineer who has been in the high-end audio business and music for years and likes to share his experience and information, i.e., he likes to talk music and audio. Brian is also very patient in answering questions about components and placement of components in your environment. He came out to my house and helped me set up the Magicos for example. Brain also over the years has developed a really keen sense of audio discernment, he just hears audio equipment really, really well, which is useful when he is trying to help a customer decide what components to buy and how to place components in your environment. And finally, Brian is fair in his dealings and always willing to help even if that means directing a customer to another dealer who might have a component that Brian does not have access to. I highly recommend him for all of your audio needs. About me: I have been actively engaged in enjoying high-end audio through many different system configurations...