Aspen Sound — Local services in Spokane

I initially went to a car audio shop down the block from Aspen Sound and had a pretty 'meh' experience, so upon getting back into my car, I searched nearby car audio businesses and came across Aspen.

It was a Saturday around midday when I stopped in with my wife, the store already had a few customers present and I was helped out by Kyler. I wanted to do a couple things to my daily driver 2022 Prius: install a 4K dash cam (with 1080p rear cam) hardwire install, BlackboxMyCar dash cam external battery, and an upgraded head unit. Kyler was very knowledgable and friendly during our conversation and we finally landed on the Kenwood Excelon DMX958XR. The store getting quite busy at this time and Tyler took over to take my information and deposit. It was great chopping it up with the guys, I was impressed with their clear communication and the fact they didn't push me to make any purchases I didn't want to, unlike the previous store I had been to.

Fast forward to the day of the install, Zach helped me out and I got the car back at the end of the day. The install looks absolutely amazing and I've been using the Android Auto interface every single day, even for a trip just a few miles away, just to play around with the head unit. It's so satisfying just being able to say "OK Google, directions to XYZ" or "OK Google, play XYZ artist, XYZ track), and it just does it. It's something I never knew I wanted or needed, but now I could never see myself without it!

Of course, my saga didn't end there though. Upon picking up the car and talking to Zach, I knew I wanted to at least upgrade my front speaker/tweeter setup. I was starting a new job in a few weeks and I'd be in my car for about an hour each day commuting, so why not treat myself to a better audio experience so I can enjoy the commute instead of dreading it. The stock speakers did sound a tad better with Kenwood, but I knew it could sound even better. Zach took me to the audio room and had me sample various speakers in their setup. I ended up choosing the Hertz Mille MPK 165.3 Pro and we scheduled me up for the following Monday.

Fast forward to Monday, today - I dropped off the car at 9am with Kyler and picked it up at around 1pm. We jumped into the car and sampled some complex music and the experience was transformational. Zach had recommended sound sealing/deadening on the front doors to ensure there was no air gaps or leakage of sound. That paired with the new speakers, I was immediately blown away. And this was just a front speaker/tweeter upgrade - no amp, no sub in the trunk, stock rear speakers.

Huge thank you to Kyler, Zach, and Tyler for really listening and caring about my needs. Their depth of knowledge and passion for car audio (and other car accessories) is truly inspirational. It made me excited to get the car worked on by such a great business and I'm so glad I decided to come here instead of the first place I went to.

And thank you to the tech that did the install on my vehicle, both for the dash cam hardwire + head unit and the speakers. My car is ready for daily driver duty and I couldn't be more pleased with the whole experience.

I wish I had more vehicles to upgrade! Maybe I'll be back in a few months for more goodies 😂

UPDATE - I came back a few months ago for the mega upgrade: 2x JL 10w6 subwoofers in a custom sealed box, JL 6ch amp with DSP, Rockford Fosgate 1000W amp, Hertz Cento speakers for the rear, and a DSP tune. It took the boys 2 full days for the install and an initial tune. It completed transformed the car! The clarity and crispness of the audio was insane. Aspen wanted me to come back for another crack at the DSP tune so I scheduled it out a few weeks and brought the car back. Jeff was my first technician and this time, it was Keith's turn. After it was completed, Zach and I stepped into the car and tried it out. It was awesome being able to see the differences in the DSP tunes, I preferred the more sound accurate tune, so Zach loaded it up and it's been turn key perfect every since. THANK YOU...

I can't rate Aspen Sound off Division on installation or service. I can only rate them based on my experience with their sales staff from earlier today.

I went in because of their positive Google reviews. I have a 2005 pickup truck with stock deck and speakers. I had done my research on prices and features I'm looking for: Bluetooth; Voice; 1.5a USB; 2 vs. 4"; Etc.

When I got there my experience was less than stellar. I received the cliched "Used Car Salesman" service. I told them what I was interested in, that I had a budget, what features I wanted, and my usage in the truck. At first it was okay with some decent options shown but none of my semi-technical questions could be clearly answered. It was clear the salesman was searching for and coming up with answers that were vague and, in some cases, not-an-answer. Plus, he instantly started selling me speakers. I was okay with this at first because I did say I'm interested in speakers but not if it takes me over my budget. He attempted to upsell and stick with a single unit and when asked why he was sticking with the one deck was unable to give any clear or solid answers/reasons why. It wasn't because he totally believes in the unit or it has all these features that suit my needs or even because it's a solid and best bang for my buck. It seemed like it was because it was on sale and they wanted to move them - like restaurant specials.

Even after I had already said I wasn't buying today, just information/option gathering I was still pressured into "Installation slots fill up fast" or "The deal ends... I think in two days..." I even experienced two salesmen half-way arguing about warranty, cost, and coverages. It was not just a little embarrassing. Plus they wouldn't drop the speakers when I let them know this deck sounds great and is an option but that means no speakers this time.

The nail in the coffin was the open box sales pitch. "Oh, we have this AWESOME deck that normally goes for $700-$750 but if you don't mind a 90 day warranty we have it here for only $500!" He went on about how awesome the deck is, how a long standing customer returned it for blah blah blah reason and only used it for 8 months and how, if he hadn't just bought a different model, he'd so buy it himself.

The open box deck is a Kenwood DDX9903S which retails, brand new, most places both internet (Amazon) or local (Best Buy) for... $500-$550. As an added insult and pricing out the actually total cost after tax, installation, and expected parts for installation we were looking at an additional $181.50. Oh! And that's not including the extra installation cost for the speakers. Not unreasonable but also adds, at least, another $81.50 for the $179 + tax speakers he kept pushing/assuming I WAS going to buy. Additionally, as a consumer, all this speakers now pushing wasn't even for any benefit to me. It's not like I was going to get any type of deal or discount on installation of the deck and speakers together at the same time.

Some might think this isn't much but when you're on a budget, just trying to get some enjoyable music in your truck for your daily commute, and not trying to enter into some car audio "bling" competition.. that's a lot. And even then he still continued to make a paper note in anticipation of following up with me or me returning tomorrow that said "blah blah blah in-dash deck with front speakers and maybe rear."

No, good Sir. That deck, at that price, and all the additional fees and costs, it was clear that speakers are not an option this time! I feel dirty just recalling my experience there today.

Going to try another place tomorrow and hope to get some really knowledgeable, passionate (about the gear, equipment, and customer needs instead of how much can I sucker this poor sap into spending), and honest folks. Aspen Sound is clearly not in...

I shopped around for an IPhone integrated head unit and backup camera at; Car Toys, Sounds on Wheels and Aspen sound. Aspen sound had 2015 models that were on sale ($100 off), winning my business. The only price differential between them and the competitors was the discounted head-unit; which all in it was $1,180 at Aspen. I scheduled an appointment for 12-4 that ended up going till after 7 due to “the car in front of me” so I had to wait in town. I arrived to find just the manager left inside and the tech taking my car out. The tech did a good job on wiring in the car but there was grease left all over the outside after (and some on the inside panels he worked on), fortunately the grease was not hard to clean up. Also, they needed to charge me another $20 for a longer cable to run. It wasn't a big deal because they assured me that I got “such a good deal” because the assistant included tax on my invoice but not in the actual price (it would’ve been around $1,280). Aspen’s “great deal” would have been a rip-off if they had included tax, then it would have been the exact same price as their competitors but for a year older head unit. I enjoy the stereo after installation but the backup camera is pointed directly out like looking out your back window, not right behind you. It makes it so I am unable to actually tell the closing distance while backing up, exactly what I need for my parking garage. I brought my car back a week later and asked for it to be adjusted but their response was “They would have to custom make some plastic to adjust the angle of the camera. It will take two hours (but they cant do it now) and will cost $70”. I asked why $70 to actually do it right and why it wasn't covered by their guarantee, they responded “because of making the piece of plastic and fitting it to get the right angle after backing the screws out”. I know the plastic will be cut off a sheet and they use a Phillips head to back the camera screws out, then when they screw it back the angle will change. The toughest part of the process is making sure the camera adjusts to be pointed at the right angle, something I figured a backup camera installer would do initially. In the end I figure it is something that I can do for free and hopefully relatively easy. It is unfortunate that they don't stand by their work while they are a premium priced shop with a “guarantee”. I have brought three cars to Aspen Sound in the past and I do not plan on doing it again or recommending them to friends.

A week after bringing my car in to have the camera fixed and posting a review I received a follow up phone call from Jose at Aspen sound. He explained that although their tech had said it was incorrectly installed and tried to bill me for it, they would stand by their installation and fix it for free. Jose also mentioned using this as a learning opportunity for the tech and store employees to understand how they stand by their work. When I was able to I brought my car back and they installed a new camera. The new camera is now angled down and is exactly what I wanted when I started looking for one. It may have taken three trips in, a brutally honest public review and 2 hours past their estimated time each visit but they made sure I was happy. I would recommend Aspen sound, just be sure to price shop with their competitors and if you ever have a problem, talk to the...