Innovative Audio — Local services in Sandy

A TRULY personalized touch, exceptional quality, VIP treatment - regardless of budget.

I rarely get this personally invested in a review so I am quite pleased to be writing this one. Please note it is lengthy. But as with any investment - it is my hope that the time taken to read this review will help make the difference in your being able to confidently choose Innovative Audio over other qualified audio/video installation companies in town.

I go through a LOT of vehicles. I'm just that kind of car guy. I recently got my hands on a CHERRY 2008 Mercury Mountaineer Premium AWD but it needed some serious audio and wiring work. It came with a Kenwood dnx890hd - an incredibly feature rich system...with incredibly complex wiring. SO complex the previous owner ended up selling the vehicle rather than fix. So needles to say after a few attempts myself - I had a pretty major project for an expert to tackle.

A review by a guy with a vintage Bronco who had some major work done by Innovative led me to giving them a shot at my problem.

When I got there, though busy, every staff member made a point to address me with a smile. I was assured I would be assisted as soon as possible. Shortly after Derrick came in to the store. I explained my situation and goals and outlined my budget ranges. Once Derrick got a look at what was going on he asked if it would be ok to schedule me out to the next week so they could make sure they had the staff and open bay time to really evaluate solutions for the install.

The install morning Derrick and I talked about several possibilities (what if/best and worst case type scenarios) and he worked up some initial estimates for each step (ultimately I wanted Android Auto for my phone, but with options for passengers connectivity as well, hands free, steering controls, back up camera and a small amp and sub connected -- all while keeping the truck looking and functioning as close to original build as possible)

I got a phone call about two hours in that unfortunately the original Kenwood unit was faulty and could not be installed. Derrick - knowing my wants - immediately offered an incredibly feature-full, very well priced JVC deck as a solution that would do just about all of what I wanted. He was not in the least bit pushy or insistent and waited for ME to ask about higher quality solutions with more options. While the best fitting unit pushed me to the upper levels of my budget, he did an exceptional job of highlighting the value of the Alpine unit over lesser priced options. I went to the shop with my phone to compare both units to size up the roughly $400 price difference. It was an instant and obvious choice to take the Alpine over the JVC --- however, Derrick fully allowed ME to be the one to make that decision and continued his exceptionally personalized VIP treatment while I decided on a $699 price point vs a $299 price point and I knew I would have been given the same treatment and service regardless of which unit I went with.

Derrick and his staff had EVERY opportunity to up sell me on everything from a better back up camera to amps, speakers, cables. They never did. Every old and dated component I brought in with the Mercury that still safely worked they used AND to my surprise they DID upgrade all the wiring WITHOUT CHARGING ME! I was SO excited to see and hear the final product but I had NO idea just how EXCEPTIONAL the SOUND was going to be. I was convinced they put a $3k system in. I mean they actually spent the time to TUNE my system - and I have even messed with settings since and keep defaulting back to their settings because it sounds like a dang movie theater. CRYSTAL CLEAR and POWERFUL!!

To say I am impressed would be such a drastic and unfair understatement. I am truly MOVED by the entire experience that I was treated to. Never for such a reasonable price have I been made to feel like SUCH a valued customer. ANYWHERE.

You are literally doing yourself a disservice if you go anywhere else REGARDLESS of price. Besides - they price match ;-)

BEST SHOP IN THE...

I can honestly say that in 30 years of purchasing custom car stereo, this is the most amazing sounding system I have ever owned. This wasn't an easy task for Innovative. I wanted to keep my current factory deck, because like most newer cars, the factory system is integrated with everything else. My salesperson, Jai, told me about this amazing new digital processor that will customize the sound in my car and allow me to make full use of adding power amps and new speakers and will transform my listening experience while still keeping my factory deck. It has blown me away! I can't believe how amazing this system sounds!!!

Jai helped me design the system. Dave performed a brilliant install with an exhaustive attention to detail that kept my BMW in mint factory condition which was important to me for resale and to help conceal my stereo investment from potential thieves! Last, but not least, Brad perfected the tuning to make sure it sounds like nothing I have ever experienced in my life.

I'm a DIFFICULT client to say the least, and Innovative's first try was anything but perfect. But the true test of a business is how dedicated they are to customer delight. The team at Innovative would not rest until I was thrilled with my new system!! In their defense, the processor is new to the market, complex to configure, and they found some bugs in the processor which were quickly resolved by a software upgrade. The point here is that Innovative would not rest until I was completely satisfied! I came back a few times and they tweaked the system and made minor adjustments to my taste without adding any additional cost to my install. Jai was always sensitive about my budget, but made sure that I didn't make big mistakes in exchange for small savings. He was more than a sales person. Jai was a consultant.

I am an audiophile at heart, and this system sounds better than my home theater...and my home theater costs 10 times more! I don't even want to get out of my car when I get home. Not only does the Innovative designed system take advantage of the latest sounds from digital recordings, it made me fall in love with the old analog classic rock. It feels like I am listening to this stuff for the first time again!

While I was there on multiple visits during my install project, I noticed outstanding service to everyone who walked in, regardless of their budget. I witnessed the Innovative team install systems for the audiophiles, bass heads and budget minded alike. Every system that they pulled out of the garage while I was there sounded fantastic.

Innovative isn't the cheapest in Utah. They are simply the best. And they are the best installers I have encountered in 30 years. My friends all freak out when they get into my car and hear the new system. Even if I only turn the front speakers on, the car is filled with the most amazing sound you could imagine. It's transformative.

In short, I give Innovative Audio my highest...

Only needed a small fix and got charged out the kazoo. They also asked me to pay the actual installer on the side( dude in the back building doing the ACTUAL WORK), then pay them their fee. I ended up paying $80 (45 office/invoice fee, then 35 cash to the guys pocket in the back garage/installer area) to rehook a wire behind my head unit. It had wiggled out and my subs werent working. I also asked for some longer subwoofer speaker wire for my subs because the current THICK SPEAKER/SUB wire was restricting them from going further back into my trunk. They installed PAPER THIN wire for my subs. Everyone with subs knows your supposed to have somewhat thicker wire and they installed the cheapest thing they had and charged me 12 bucks for it. I would think they would have a least asked me if i wanted paper thin wire to replace my thick epensive (but to short) wire. These people are outdated cheap crooks and I will never be back and would like the owner to contact me in reguard to my experience. Will be reporting to the BBB.

One thing thats even funnier then my experience is that after anyone gives this place ANYKIND of critizim the owner of Innovative gets right on google reviews and posts peoples private email conversations and last names (when it says "google user" and their obviously choosing to remain anonymous!) and jumps right in to defend his crooked self and staff instead of appologizing and offering to fix the issue if not already fixed. Laughable bussniess and sad for all the people like me that got screwed by them. I would rather chew on glass then deal with this place again. Avoid it like the plauge it is...