Analogique Service Lab

Analogique was AMAZING to work with. I had a broken controller on my Numark NS6, and the Numark approved repair outlets in NYC gave me a time frame of 2 weeks before they would even look at my mixer. The folks at Analogique ordered the appropriate parts from Numark and had it repaired and working like new in just one week. They were super friendly and professional throughout the whole process. I really can’t recommend them enough.

I like the people here, but their technical know-​how leaves something to be desired. I dropped off my Marantz receiver here because one channel wasn’t working. I picked it up and when tested at home, the problem was still there. I took it back again. When I picked it up again the manager said he had found the problem. I took it home and tested and the problem did show up again. I stopped going back. They had charged me a bit over $ 400 for the work and it was essentially not fixed. My receiver still has the same issue, although I noticed by tweaking some knobs gently the channel would get signal, so I’ve just been using it like that for a while.
They did a proper install of a tweeter on a vintage KEF speaker, no complaints there, but taking the Marantz back again and again cost me a lot of cab money and they didn’t fix it, for all the money I spent.

I had a great experience of having my Adcom Receiver, PSAudio preamp, Rega Planar turntable, and Monitor Audio speakers repaired by Ernesto at Analogique. The turnaround was 1 week and as I live in the neighborhood Ernesto actually did a house call to help reinstall the components! (House calls are not normal business, but I appreciated it!). He quickly diagnosed the electrical problems with the Adcom unit, found disconnected wiring on the turntable, and was able to locate a used original equipment woofer for the Monitor speakers (they, like the Adcom unit, are no longer manufactured.) The sound is great and I saved thousands of dollars by not replacing this high end system. The cost was very reasonable compared to buying new, and considering how quickly the work was done, I was happily surprised. If you have high end components that have a problem, before replacing, I would highly recommend that you consider Analogique for cost effective repairs.

Despite the preponderance of negative reviews here, I brought in an amp for inspection/​overhaul because I live within walking distance which allowed for the massive unit to be brought in rather easily.
The amp, a Sansui AU-​717 Integrated, was exposed to contaminated water and although working, was in need of renovation/​overhaul, since nothing internally had been replaced since being manufactured in 1977. In the end I actually thought more could have been replaced and I would have paid for the parts/​labor.
Costs were reasonable considering these things typically cost a lot. I’d love to pay less but alternatives are often even more expensive. There wasn’t a detailed outline of part costs but I was given all the replaced parts and values are not difficult to find. The owner isn’t as communicative as he could be.
The service was quick, less than two weeks. The unit sounds great and they replaced a fair number of capacitors, relays, and other circuits. All in all, a very satisfying experience.

I’m not sure why there are some bad reviews on here — these guys are very busy, but they do a very thorough job with an artisan’s touch, and they can fix things that no one else can. We need to support craftsmen like these in our city, otherwise we will be forced to drive to Long Island to get anything repaired!
I brought in an ancient Nakamichi SoundSpace 8 unit whose CD player had stopped working. I was also caught off guard by the cash/​check only policy, but it was merely inconvenient. The man in charge was very pleasant and knowledgeable.
They finished the initial estimate but never called me back — I had to call them and confirm that I wanted the repair. Phone service was very helpful. They then repaired the unit but never called me back, and again I had to call them. When I brought the unit home it only half worked!
Luckily there was a warranty on repairs, and after I brought the unit back a second time, they got it working perfectly, good as new. So, some bumps along the way, but service was always great, and in the end I got a beautifully refurbished Nakamichi.
Love the building too, lots of quirky artisans there (chocolate, fashion, etc)

Do not use these people. I wished I had read these Unilocal reviews before I dealt with them. I dropped my speaker off 11 days ago. They did not tell me at the time that they don’t accept credit cards for the deposit. So when I called 2 – 3 days later to check on the troubleshooting, they told me I needed to write them a check before they look at it (notice how they did not call me?). I mailed a check. It was received and cashed and I called 2 – 3 days after (notice how they did not call me). They told me the speaker ‘was not giving a signal’ and they had to do further testing of the amplifier board transistors at a tune of 350 $ (The speaker is worth about 500.00). They also had to send away to Mackie to get the manual for a very commonly sold speaker. I thought they were an approved shop. I guess the term ‘approved shop’ means very little.
They are janky, unprofessional and expensive? Really?
keep looking.

This is the absolute worst place to bring your valued audiophile equipment.
Years ago (I am talking the 1980’s when I had them compentantly repair a few things) they were the defacto go to place to repair high end audio equipment, today, with the original founder gone, it is a merely living on its reputation of days gone by. When you drop off your gear they charge you a bench fee and insist that it is paid with cash (the first sign that you will have trouble is that they want your cash so that you have no recourse with your bank or credit card company). They refuse to even offer a ballpark idea of what a repair could cost, even if you tell them you understand that they can not be sure without looking first, but if they have really been repairing things since 1974 one would think they could say something like the average cost to repair and amp is X or between X and Y but sometimes as high as Z. They offer no such price range. And the reason why is obvious. They also state a timeframe for providing an estimate that they did not keep. Being patient and waiting for them to call me a week after their stated date to provide and estimate yielded unreturned calls until finally they said they just started looking at it that day and when I called again a few days later (they never called me!) they told me a completely absurd amount of money and no detail as to what the cost was for.
Note: I complained via
at the time and looking today found that the 5 people that complained about them to
including me are considered ‘resolved’ because complaintent could not provide sufficient information. I provided tons of information including photos of the amp that they scratched right before my eyes as the clerk dragged the unit which was stored on end off the shelf where they store all of their repair units. Does storing high end audio equipment on its side on a metal shelf sound like a professional operation that cares about your equipment. And does a $ 650 estimate to repair something that turned out only costing $ 108 (including sales tax) at a shop on long island where they treated and respected you like a customer.
Avoid this terrible store!

The moment you walk into the decrepit building in Chelsea where they are located and wait for the one working elevator you begin to feel uneasy about Analogique. As you wait for someone to notice you holding your heavy piece of gear, you have plenty of time to take in how dark, dirty, musty and hot the place is, like the back room of a pawn shop. Crudely lettered and written posters behind the counter remind you in no uncertain terms that the minimum charge is $ 150, labor is $ 75 an hour and no credit cards are accepted.
After describing my problem (static on one channel of a 14 year old integrated amp) I was told that I’d hear from them in a few days with an estimate based on my $ 75 non-​refundable cash deposit (which would be applied to the repair). After a week I didn’t hear from them so I called and spoke to the counter guy who is clearly not a technician and just repeats what he’s told. Apparently I needed a couple of relatively inexpensive parts replaced that had failed with age but it would cost $ 360 for them to thoroughly check out the unit and «restore it to factory specs.»
Since that was a minimum of fours hours on the bench at $ 75 per I imagine they were recommending they test and replace every capacitor, clean every switch, examine every solder tracing, adjust the bias back to factory spec, etc. etc. etc. Or if they weren’t going to do all that unnecessary work they were just looking to rob me. I didn’t want all that work done. I just wanted the obviously faulty part replaced which should have cost less than $ 10 for the part and an hour of labor.
The counter guy quickly replied, «Let me ask the technician» and came back a moment later and said, «$ 285 is the best he can do.» Wow, a $ 75 instant discount! Clearly these guys pull their estimates out of their a*ss and if you don’t like it you can just take your amp back and they get to keep the $ 75 estimate fee.
Peeved about this, I called one of Analogique’s competitors where the owner answered the phone and spent several minutes patiently listening to my problem and explaining how he did business. Bottom line, with any old electronic device there is inevitably deterioration but with time and effort pieces that were well made to begin with can be made «good as new.» «Good as new» costs a lot more than the amp is probably worth after all those years. But he told me, «We always give the customer the option. The minimum price to fix the problem he came in with and a price to make the unit as good as it can be.»
I took my amp back from Analogique, swallowing the estimate, and for less than they wanted in addition I bought a classic power amp on Ebay which I will use with my «broken» amp serving as a preamp (the problem is in the amp circuitry).
I wish I could suggest an alternative to Analogique but the repair of older high end audio is a field where the chances of getting taken are very high. As it is I’d stay far far away.

I purchased a 1970’s Pioneer SA-​780 stereo amplifier on eBay for $ 125. I had some small problems with the unit (the left channel was noticeably quieter and some of the switches and knobs were noisy). After trying to fix the unit myself and leaving it in much worse shape, I searched online for an audio repair shop in the city that specialized in analog or vintage equipment.
I dropped off the unit at Analogique along with $ 75 for the estimate. After about 4 days I called to check, they said the technician was getting to it soon. Called back a few days later, and they told me there were a few components that needed to be replaced, some cold solder joints to be fixed — but that they could fix all of it and restore it to factory specs for about $ 400. Pretty pricey but to get a vintage unit in good-​as-​new shape, I went for it.
I gave them about a week and half and called back — the guy said they made most of the repairs, but that the technician was having trouble finding some vintage transistors. Using newer models would change the distortion ratio and they wanted to find the right kind. No problem, I said, sounds like it should be worth the wait. Called a week later, they had found the right transistor, but there was still a funny pop when the unit was switched on that they wanted to eliminate — but that it should be easy to fix and they’d call me in a day or two. I called back the end of that week and they said the problem had been solved and the unit was ready to be picked up.
The final price was $ 439 (the estimated $ 400 plus tax) and I’m at home listening to the unit now. It sounds terrific, much sharper and cleaner than before, and, of course, the left channel’s volume problem is fixed. All the repairs are clearly indicated on the repair sheet — they cleaned and lubed all the switches and knobs; checked dc offset, tone control response, phono equalization, and frequency response — a really thorough job.
Overall, I’m really happy — it would have been nice to get a better estimate of the turnaround time at the outset (it took a full 5 weeks) and to not have to had call for updates myself. But the work itself seems impeccable. Note that they don’t accept credit cards though — cash, cashiers check, or money order.