Audio Lab

When my mom and I first came to AudioLab I was honestly reluctant. I found the prices to a little but to costly for my taste. However I wasn’t the one paying to fix our 1995 stereo system so I realize that complaining in such a situation would be pretty irrational. What mattered most in the end was that we received a well repaired stereo which enabled us to once again enjoy our assortment of vinyls and compact discs. If this had been my only interaction with AudioLab I’d probably give it 4 stars but my first visit was far from my last. When we returned to pick up the stereo I struck up a little conversation with the store clerk about my passion for vintage radios. At some point I told him that I have some radios that have seen better days and need to be fixed. He replied that a repairman who worked at the store could not only repair one of my radios but actually allow me to watch him work! What an exciting opportunity!
I don’t believe AudioLab has ever had a such a request for they called it ‘odd’ what can I say? In many ways I am indeed an odd adolescent.
A week later I brought in my 1962 RCA crescent shaped clock radio named Gru who’s 54 year old filter capacitor had turned faulty. Victor, perhaps the sole repairman of AudioLab was eager to get to work on Gru as soon as he got a good look at the old appliance. As an adolescent who aspires to one day repair and restore vintage radios it was an unforgettably awesome experience to watch Victor perform ‘sergury’ on one of my favorite antique electronics. He even explained to me the issue of the faulty capacitor, gave me an interesting lesson on electricity, and provided me with some useful tips in radio reparation and selling. Not to mention that Victor let me keep Gru’s faulty filter capacitor once he had soldered it from his circuit board. The best part of the entire experience was when Victor turned on Gru and for the first time in the 4 years that I’ve owned him, I heard something else than a horrible hum come from his speakers. Gru had been reborn and boy was I in rhapsody. I told Victor ‘Thank you’ to which he replied ‘Well it’s what I do.” The day was August 28^th, 2015, a day I will remember in appreciation for many years to come.
This review isn’t all about me though, it’s about you too. Since I got a sneak peek at the workshop that lies behind the front desk I can tell you that your electronic devices will likely be in good hands if you bring them down to AudioLab. Victor has both the equipment and the exceptional skills under his belt to resurrect your broken electronics just as he repaired mine. And hey! Who knows? Maybe if you stop by some years from now I’ll be the one at AudioLab bringing the life back into your broken electronics.

Had a vintage high end Sony amp that multiple other shops couldn’t fix. These guys have a real sharpie repairman — self taught and proud of his work. Highly recommend.

I have been meaning to write a review for this place for a pretty long time. I wanted to make sure I was justified in giving this place a scathing review before I posted. I’m justified.
I wanted to have my record player looked at. I knew what was wrong with it: the belt had broken. I just wanted to see if they had the part to buy. If they did, I could buy it and install it myself at home.
Instead, I was stuck waiting for what seemed like no reason for about 30 minutes, after which I was told to come to the counter.
I explained my situation. The man I was talking to didn’t seem to internalize a word I said and prompted me with my name and phone number. I provided, expecting to reiterate my situation again after the formality. I was cut off before I was done restating my purpose for being there and I was told that the record player was going to need a check-​up/​tune-​up that would cost me at least 25 bucks.
I tried to have a conversation with this man (belts cost about 10 bucks) but it seemed that he wanted to charge me the base $ 25 and push me out the door. He said that all he could do was give the player to the repairmen and tell me when I could pick it up.
I told him that I would take the player somewhere else for my needs and he complained to me that he already put my info in the system and that it would take a while to get it out. Very immature and rude. He also mentioned that I would not be allowed back in the shop if I left. Instead of succumbing to his scare tactics, I bade him a good day and left. The rejoinder was a brusque, «Yeah, ok.»
I get it: they sell cool expensive equipment and selling a little service part may seem beneath these guys. What I think they can learn, though, is that good service begets returning customers, especially customers who may trust them with a bigger purchase.
Tl;dr — 1 star for service alone. It’s that horrendous

Awesome place if you take your sound seriously. They can fix nearly anything and will be honest, deliver a quality product or service, and never up sell you or rip you off.
Mike is a Harvard square staple, a music guru, and a genuine pleasure to talk to.

I have no idea where else you could go to get this much excellent equipment to try.
A word to the unwitting: This is a good-​stuff-​only store. If you usually go to Best Buy and get Beats (which aren’t bad! all things considered!) this is a different sort of place. Think about something you care about that other people don’t understand, and then imagine the perfect store for it. It would be kind of annoying if it was full of loud people buying crap, right? You’d kind of want only people who want good stuff around. If nothing else, it would ensure a strong inventory of quality items.
I can’t easily think of a store that would carry Sennheiser 800’s, let alone hand them over happily. Or close the door so you can compare every nice pair of headphones you think you’d like without interference. Or HiFiMan amps and cans. Or every kind of Beyer Dynamic. Or a wide selection of Riga.
Every time I come in, I buy something, and generally, it’s something I didn’t know existed, which between you and me, is saying something.
The location is in a terrible 80’s mall-​let, the décor is pretty drab, and sure, the staff is a tad gruff, in that High Fidelity sort of way. But Mike knows his stuff. He doesn’t bullshit you, and if you are a likely customer, he’ll give you all the time in the world. Every time he makes a strong recommendation, I like it. And in frankness, I end up buying, and satisfied.
I love this store.

This store is among the last of a dying breed, and they know it: the bona fide audiophile-​nerd store. The guys who work here know their stuff, are an eccentric lot, and defy prevailing consumer expectations of cheerful butt-​kissing «customer service.» In other words, expect a certain level of slowness, brusqueness, even rudeness, especially if you tend to come off as just another narcissistic and over-​entitled rich snob type… this ain’t no Best Buy type place that employs clueless but eagerly chirpy/​servile high school and college age kids. What that means is that they carry true high fidelity equipment by brands most people have never heard of… not overhyped garbage like Bose and Beats.
All the same, if you are good at internet research, you could easily invest a few hours on various audio enthusiast online forums (AVS, Audioholics, Head-​Fi, etc.) to educate yourself enough to be able to buy components online for a music system that could easily compete with the stuff they sell here, for a fraction of the price. (Amazon, Newegg, Accessories4Less, Audiogon, Ascend Acoustics, Hsu Research, Outlaw Audio, to name a few.) But if you’re lazy and rich — sure, by all means come in here, leave your ego at the door, feel good for supporting a local business, plunk your money down and you’ll be well served.

I recently purchased a receiver and some add-​ons from these guys, and they were pretty helpful during that encounter, although not very polite during the transaction now that I look back at it. I expect to hear ‘thank you’ when I spend $ 5 at a 7 – 11, yet alone $ 500 at an audio shop.
When I returned a few months later to purchase a record needle, I was told the type I wanted was out of stock. I was told to come back the following weekend. I came back, they weren’t in stock, and was asked to come back the next week, at which point I left him my phone number and said, ‘please call me when they come in’. He never called. I called two weeks later to inquire, and he garbled some BS into the phone and said he had my number.
Dude, WTF? I immediately logged onto Amazon and had one delivered to my office two days later for half the price you would have charged me. You, an independent store-​owner who should appreciate conscious purchasers like me who like to support independent, local entrepreneurs, LITERALLY and very DIRECTLY drove me to give my money to Amazon.
Way to go man! Your snide attitude and stoner demeanour may have played well in Cambridge circa 1974, but in the internet age I ask for at least a ‘thanks brother!’ and a thin veneer of pleasantry in order to keep my business.

Mike at Audio Lab is the most knowledgable, not to mention most generous, audio person I’ve ever met. Regardless of how obscure my question, he is a ready answer to it… and an immediately useful answer as well. I’ve been doing business at Audio Lab for 20+ years, and there’s no reason why I won’t continue for the next 20, no, 100 years. A first-​rate establishment!

These guys are awesome! They’re really nice about letting you come and do listening tests of their equipment and describe the differences between models and types before you buy. I don’t know of any other store that will let you do this level of testing before a purchase, and for this reason alone they earn 5 stars in my book. Kudos for bringing extraordinary service to the hi-​fi community!

Best audio shop in my book.
Got my Triangle speakers here a while ago. They are great, but still never perfect I thought.
So finally ended up listening to Mike who rightfully identified my off-​the shelf crappy Sony amp as the weak link. After a few visits where he let me listen to many alternatives I finally settled on Mike’s first choice — Rega Brio-​R — and bought it on tax free weekend. Although not cheap, it was half the price of comparable amps. I could have shopped around a lot and I may have saved $ 4 had I ordered online. But guess what — at Audio Lab: I could try out different options. I got competent advise. I wasn’t nickeled and dimed.
Finally, I got home with my new price. Hooked it up and was blown away. Wagner and Pink Floyd now are in best harmony in my living room. And I am happy.

This is the first 3-​star review. 1^st three-​star review!
they were competent, but, ahem, they were not very nice. after telling me my repair was ready they hung up on me. I said goodby to a dial tone. I think I trust their repair, but, they must be good to be that rude… Now that I write this, i fear I must get a second opinion.
if you want to get parking discount, they work with the garage at 124 Mount auburn. while in ‘the garage’, they are not in ‘a garage’.

For all my HI-​FI needs, there is no other place. I’ve never been met with such respect in an audio establishment.

Very unprofessional and quite rude.
I’ve been to many high-​end audio shops, but have never received poorer service than at this one. When you are considering an $ 8,000 pair of speakers, I think it is perfectly alright to do comparison shopping between different stores and pick the one that you enjoy the most. The salesperson needs to earn your money, and sometimes even if they are polite and do everything right, you might still choose another product.
The service here has been so consistently poor that I ended up just ordering a pair of speakers online. They sound better, were cheaper, but I did need to wait a month or so for them to get in.

in my experience, i found these guys to be annoying, pretentious and dumb. i called inquiring about a replacement turntable belt and they said *had to* bring it in, but not today but in a couple weeks when the technician is there so they could properly fit a new belt on. GMAFB! that makes no sense at all. so instead i ordered a replacement belt online from needledoctor dot com (great customer service btw) and it arrived, slipped it on in two seconds, fit perfect and plays great. why were they making me bring in my turntable instead of just selling me a new belt on the spot? i can only assume they were just looking to rip me off for a service charge and, to waste my time. that being said, im probably not their target audience. they have alot of nice, high-​priced, high-​end gear here. but, in my opinion, a total waste of my time and not what i was looking for.

I am glad places like this still exist.
Can you really buy stereo gear online without having first listened to it? (And listening to in a store and then buying it online is about as scummy as it gets.)
I was looking for a pair of good quality headphones.
I called several places around Boston and southern NH. Audio places are dying breed. Those that keep a good inventory of headphones even harder to find.
Audio Lab was the exception. They had a great selection, including AKG, Grado and Beyer. They had entry level stuff like Newbury comics next door, but also middle and high end headphones which I was having trouble finding anywhere except online.
At the store, I was able to try (and try again) all of the cans I wanted to check out. I got good advice from the guy behind the counter. He was patient and had lots of good info.
In the end I selected a pair I have been extremely happy with.
I was also happy with the price which was the same as the online prices, but frankly, I’d would have been OK with paying more than the online price (NOTE: I DID NOT HAVE TO) because unless business like this are supported, the next time I need a new set of headphones, or speakers, or a component, I won’t be able to listen to them first.
While I was there, I poked around the listening rooms and noticed lots of high end gear. Unlike some places they also seemed ti keep a pretty good inventory.
In short, great place that has been in Cambridge since the early hippy days.
Highly recommend.

Audio Lab is a solid audio store that sorely needs a better location… but alas… it is where it is… without any good listening rooms.
I ordered a mcintosh integrated from them after talking to Mike and auditioning it elsewhere (not a high demand there from clientele to keep them in stock) and I got an exceptional discount due to special order nature.
They just generally have a nice selection of stuff. Location is just awful however.

I have an old, but well taken care of YAMAHA CA-​1010 Receiver. The left channel was going out and I took it into Audio Lab to get fixed. I put down the $ 30 deposit and left the receiver with them.
A week later I hadn’t heard from them, so I went in. They said they hadn’t found any problem with the receiver, so I just took my receiver home. They kept the $ 30 deposit and said if there were any more problems, bring it back.
The left channel started to go out again, so I brought it back. I left the receiver with them again and after a week I didn’t hear from them. So I called and they said my receiver was ready. I went it, they said it was repaired, the cost came to $ 80. I had already put down $ 30, so I owed another $ 50. Fine by me.
I took the receiver back home, and after a few weeks the left channel started to go out again. I called Audio Lab and told them the problem. They said it could my by speakers overheating the receiver and to take my speakers to another repair shop.
I really didn’t want to run back and forth from repair shop to repair shop, especially when I had to pay for a «repair» and it wasn’t being repaired.
I finally looked up YAMAHA CA-​1010 on Google and found a message board that said it might be dirty contacts. It suggested I buy contact cleaner and clean the inside. So I did that. The cleaner cost $ 8 and I liberally sprayed and cleaned the inside. The receiver now works fine.
I don’t know what I paid $ 80 for, and why I continually went back and forth from Audio Lab (my receiver is very heavy so it was a pain to find parking then shuffle to their location). Also, not sure why this sort of simple remedy wasn’t caught by them.
I’m sure they’re good at what they do, but I was a bit disappointed with my experience. I could have just paid $ 8 to clean it myself, rather than $ 80 for them to not fix anything.

Audio Lab is great.
I called ahead and requested my desire for beautiful Stereo sound… and that I wanted to pair an amp and speakers with a decent turntable.
The man– Mike — recommended an excellent solution and upon visiting the store was extremely generous on giving a reasonable discount on a package.
Some say Audio Lab is pretentious, to my response is yeah of course… the audio equipment they sell is the equivalent of walking into an Aston Martin Dealership.
Try that sometime.
I mean if you walk in there looking to spend $ 5 bucks for a boom box you are in the wrong store.
Some may also confuse knowledgeable staff for arrogance, I think the people that are intimidated by the equipment or knowledgeable staff should go to Best Buy.
Thanks again Mike.
The Rega and Monitor Audio Towers are fantastic!

I wasn’t sure what it was, but sitting atop the subwoofer was a giant gift wrapped package (hey-​oo!) topped with a bow. It was my birthday, but I was still caught off guard, I mean how often do you get such a huge present? Inside could have easily been a small television, a fish tank sized terrarium, maybe even a bread maker. I’d take a terrarium but other than that the prospects weren’t good. It was a perfect square, and immaculately wrapped in paper that went surprisingly well with my living room décor, if we can call it that. I didn’t want to open it. But, I had friends over to watch the Patriots, and I felt the pressure to open it at halftime, so I dove in. As it turns out the wrap job was merely a lid. I lifted it off to find the ultimate present, a lovely 1974 Pioneer PL-​15Dii turntable from my girlfriend. I had been doing a fair bit of resurf over the past several months for a turntable, and apparently talking about it enough to spread the word. But where I couldn’t convince myself to pull the trigger she did, and on a real beauty. Its got wood grain veneer, a tinted dust cover in flawless shape, and a handsome head shell. I was truly impressed. But this isn’t a review of my birthday, my girlfriend, or of the Patriots march to another Super Bowl.
This Particular turntable was listed as «very good» with the only issue being that it played 33’s «correctly» when the lever was switched to the 45 speed setting. I thought it should also get a tune up, and I wanted an excuse to head to Audio Lab. This was a perfect excuse. We lucked out with a parking spot and walked it in. I must have looked like a new father carrying a newborn. People ran to get doors for me and let me pass when it was too crowded to fit us both. Upon arrival, I plopped the turntable down on the counter and Mike (99% sure that was his name) came over to find out what was up. I doubt Mike talks like that. He came over to see what might be the problem with my turntable.
Mike pulled out a jagged old magnifying glass and asked what the problems were. We explained that turntables were pretty «new to us» and were told that it played the wrong speed, and that we wanted a tune up to be sure it was cut out to play records in a desirable fashion. He checked out several areas, removed the platter and checked out the belts and motor and who knows what else. He made comments along the way, including, «people say record players are in very good condition, but they rarely are,» and «lots of things can damage in shipping.» But he also added «the cartridge is in good shape,» and «it’s rare to see dust covers in such good condition.» I asked if the speed thing sounded like a big deal, and he said that he «wasn’t the tech.» He also mentioned that over 90% of their business was repair based. After a thorough once over he took a $ 35 down payment (or close to it) and said that they’d call with an estimate soon. At that we headed out.
That was on a Monday. I called on Friday, because I hadn’t heard back. Mike answered and said they were running about seven days out for quotes. I wasn’t in a hurry, and told him so. Either way, he called me back on Tuesday to say it would cost another $ 50 on top of my down payment and that it’d be done the next day. That was more than fair I thought, so I gave him the green light. I showed up on Tuesday after work, and per usual, there was Mike by his lonesome. He asked my last name and went back to get it. Sitting it down on the counter I gave it a once over noticing that they affixed the arm to the table to avoid issues in transit, a nice touch. I needed some longer RCA cables, which they had in stock, and nice ones at that. This got me even more excited to bring it home and light up Arlington with an impromptu concert. Before leaving I felt the first inclination of warmth from Mike, he said «when you bring it to the car, carry it flat, like a pizza.» I thanked him for the service and the quick turnaround and headed home, much to the dismay of my neighborhood.
I hooked it up, and have been enjoying the vinyl experience ever since.
My experience with Audiolab is precisely what I hoped it would be, and was nothing short of positive. Mike is very knowledgeable and should I ever have a problem or a question, I will most certainly head to Audiolab for assistance.
Some of the other reviews suggest that there is a «holier than thou» attitude at Audiolab, and that might very well be the case. They know there stuff, and are a little rough around the edges. If Audiolab were a restaurant, it’d be a diner with a cult following,

These guys are such pretentious dicks it’s unbelievable. No doubt they know what they’re talking about, but they’ll hardly give you the time of day unless you prove to them you’re even worth talking to. I’ve been in here twice to get some answers dealing with properly setting up my turntable, as I’m a bit of a noob and would like to figure out the science behind it. The first time I went in and asked what options I have to replace my cartridge/​stylus, the response I got was «Well, are you going to Sunday school or are you going to church every day?» Instead of giving me a straight answer and showing me what he has in stock, he felt the need to asses my audiophile prick status, and I left without getting any advice or help at all.
I went in there for a second time today to pick someone’s brain about balancing my tonearm and adjusting anti skating, and instead of simply explaining what it means and helping me out, he just said «I’d have to see it to tell you what it needs» and went on to tell me «good luck finding the right cartridge» and then told me how much they charge for service.
Mid conversation, no joke, he literally stood up from his comfy chair and walked away from me to go hide in the back room.
The crusty old farts that work here are on par with the comic book guy from the Simpsons. The only people that must have good luck here are the people who pay them money to fix their stuff, or are just as knowledgeable as they are. Don’t go here if you’re looking for any insight at all, because you’ll get nothing but attitude and pretentious snobbery in return.
Edit: In response to Hania of Audio Lab. I told the guy exactly what it was, a Thorens TD-​160, and I told him it had a Shure Hi-​Track (M91ED) cartridge. I know that these things aren’t all that rare, and if you indeed carry over 3000, I was shocked that he wasn’t able to help me out more. As far as balancing the tone arm and adjusting anti skating, I found a quick and easy tutorial that spelled it out for me pretty simply. Bottom line is, both times I went in there asking simple questions, I got nothing in return.