Audio Symphony

Audio Symphony is terrific. We have had them out a couple of time for different projects and they have really exceed our expectations. They are always prompt, make great suggestions, and do excellent work. We trust them with all of our audio-​visual needs, whether it is cable wiring, TV mounting/​installation, or universal remote programming (across many different inputs). It is always hard to find great contractors or home specialists — I am glad I found Audio Symphony and can’t say enough about them!

This place and its people are solid. I bought an alpine with bluetooth+mic to retrofit my old xTerra. It was a great price and done well. Hatch was also nice enough to take some of my Alpine menu questions that I didn’t feel like looking up in the manual over the phone post install.
A year later the mic wire got loosened under the passenger side front seat and my buddy accidentally yanked it out with his foot. This was due to a recent major service that I had done on the xTerra. Hatch replaced it with a small labor charge only and threw in the replacement mic for free.
Honest and good to work with. I will be back for whatever I need next!

I was interested in installing a rear-​view backup camera on my very special ride — a Dinan tuned 5 series, E60 BMW, with only 14,000 original miles on the clock.
I called my dealership, BMW of San Franciscco (Cedric Tong, my long-​time service advisor, now retired), regarding this and he had recommended I touch base with Audio Sympthony (A.S.) for both sales and professional installation.
Good thing I heeded my dealership’s advice. Was fortunate enough to touch base with Hatch Archouniani of A.S. After providing him detailed info about my ride, Hatch advised me that a custom install was indeed possible. He expertly recommended all the necessary parts, integrated module and hi-​def, wide angle camera, etc., I required to make it all happen.
Throughout my interactions, Hatch was very customer oriented, extremely knowledgeable, and patiently answered all my questions regarding both the equipment and install process. After the custom parts came in, Hatch immediately notified me to schedule an install date.
Dropped off the car in the AM and everything was all done by 3:30PM. This included full testing, a very CLEAN and PROFESSIONAL installation, and even a tutorial session for me around the new equipment, as well as again, taking the time to answer all my questions after install.
Props and praise are also extended to Hatch’s professional installer, Eddie, who did nothing less than a professional, careful and VERY CLEAN installation, while being very respectful of the owner’s vehicle and property.
In summary, Audio Symphony delivered in spades. Five-​Stars. As good as it gets, yes!
I’m quite pleased with the overall purchasing and installing experience.
So, if you’re looking for a FIRST-​RATE organization who truly understands the technical side of this business, while also treating and valuing their customers and clients to the highest order, A.S. should be TOPS on your list for consideration.
Again, I highly commend and recommend both Hatch and Eddie at A.S.
They are a couple of very competent and honorable individuals and two of the NICEST people you ever want to meet OR do business with.
BEST REGARDS
KEN HONG

Can’t say enough good things about Hatch and Chris. Great service and installation, they have installed sounds systems twice in my Mini, after the first system got stolen.
They have also installed cameras and a jail break in my truck.
All working perfectly and the work was performed in good time. I wouldn’t go anywhere else for my audio/​tech auto needs. Thanks all of you at Audio Symphony!

Hatch is amazing. Spent time to go through the stereo options with us, did the install in a few hours, walked us through how to use it. Definitely recommend!

If you care about your car — this is the place to go. I have a Range Rover where they installed a video system, a Mercedes they installed radar and lastly a very high end sports car where they also installed a radar detector system. Very happy with their work!

Chris was outstanding! I have a older BMW and wanted to add an aux audio input in my car so I can listen to my mp3 music with ease. I called Audio Symphony and talked with Chris. He was very professional and friendly and quickly got my car in their shop for the upgrade. These guys really know what they are doing and the are friendly, honest and fair. I highly recommend Chris and Audio Symphony! They rock!

Hatch, Farzin and the rest of the gentlemen are truly a pleasure to work with. We recently implemented a 16 camera surveillance system in our apt building and the service we received was phenomenal. They accommodated our needs, were very fair with pricing and were diligent during the installation. Surveillance systems are just a fraction of what they do. I also installed a Pioneer TV/​sound system in my car with them years ago and it worked great. Go see Hatch! He will take great care of you.

Audio Symphony just did a great job installing an aftermarket front camera on my car. They had never done this before because it is a unique part, but within a few hours they worked their magic and completed a perfect install at a good price. Thank you!

Hatch is awesome — from beginning of process asking questions, to making the purchase and the installation. Excellent work, great price, great service. Have had parking control sensors and iphone/​ipad direct power wiring in my car.

I had these guys trick out my auto with a new deck, new speakers, a powered sub and rewiring all of the access points. They did a great job. I had a problem 3 months after the installation and they fixed it at no charge.

Had a great experience here. Farzin and his crew installed a projector TV and retractable screen. The instal was on time and on budget.

I’m lucky to have found this place. The boys at Audio Symphony have made my home a popular place to watch movies and my girlfriend rarely objects to movie night. In fact, its a treat!
Specification and layout was handled with high competence such that sound quality is second to none and the system is beautiful look at when not in use.
The art of packing this much technology, wiring, and components yet maintain the minimalist design of my home was demonstrated by Audio Symphony. Thank you for the many recommendations to make this possible, not least of which is the wide-​body contemporary Salamander cabinet which really sets off my living room.
Dolby 7.1 with dual subwoofers, in-​ceiling speakers, all stealth wiring and component placement. Seamless fool-​proof operation. Scheduling was prompt, and the surprises were good ones: I had an issue with getting my TV in time for installation from Best Buy, no problem, even though Best Buy let me down, Audio Symphony supplied the perfect TV for my application the next day for my installation. Installation crew prompt, clean, professional and knowledgable.
Post purchase support and customer service has been on par with pre-​sale service. They’ve taken care of me from when I first walked in to many months after installation.
Highly recommend these folks and couldn’t be happier with my ultra-​rockin system.
THANKS!
Oh, forgot to mention, the work was so good, I decided to add speakers to master bedroom bath plugged in to main A/​V unit.

Great experience with Mr. Hatch at this location. I wanted to install a pair of sub woofers in my older lexus and was very happy with the price and service. It was less than I was expecting to pay and the car was done the same day! I will note that the work was done on a Wednesday and I brought it to the shop first thing in the morning. Not sure if they advertise same day service but I would have paid a bit more for that anyway. Great job to these guys.

These guys are the best! They are real craftsman when it comes to installing parrot bluetooths, ipod integration, etc. They do all the luxury cars, bentley, lambos, etc.
I was very pleased with the parrot installation and ipod kit they installed on my bentley.

No!
Please avoid Audio Symphony if you need dependable, professional help.
I paid 150 dollars to connect DVD and remote controls for my new apt.
A guy, Alfred, came in to connect, but TV controls I have were not really stable.
I should call him if not working, Alfred said.
It was not working I found out after 3 days he came in.
Accordingly, I called Audio Symphony, (a few minutes after I found out system was not working) an owner explains to me with these words…
«FUCKING REMOTE CONTROL is NOT WORKING. I am not doing what I need to do. Buy another remote control —-«
I said to him I would rather speak to Alfred who seemed more professional than owner.
To: Owner of Audio Symphony
1) I feel sorry for your life. Be thankful that you are still there.
2) With 150 dollars to you for connectivity which is not working. I called for help. This is how you treat customers to rip them off with horrific manners?
3) Hire ongoing spokesman or lawyer.

Very positive visit and results on both instances:
— installing an iPod connection in an Audi A4 with the least modification to the interior
AND without affecting FM reception. Car was ready in the time frame quoted (actually earlier) at a reasonable rate, with Great Full sound for all modes.
— going back almost a year later to ask help to troubleshoot the interface of the factory installed Bluetooth system. No hesitation in offering to look and fixed under 5 minutes!
Thank You Hatch for being so efficient, respectful and pleasant all the while.
Best cheers to your Team!
¹⁰⁄₁₀

UPDATED: 2-​STARS to 1-​STAR. It dawned on me that they mainly just want to do expensive plug & play stereo/​alarm upgrades — a custom job on my cheap Dodge is out of their league/​interest — when I called back months after the fact (without mentioning my identity) about diagnosing some unrelated HID issues, I find out from Chris (who initially took my job) that they don’t even carry HID lighting parts… but he still took this job as if they’re pros with proper resources?! They also left GREASE drips on my bumper, and wire crimps/​misc bits in the battery compartment like it’s a trash bin; wouldn’t happen to a $ 50k+ car I’m sure.
*****
*Critique of their custom work for lighting, not about plug-​n-​play jobs like standard radio/​alarm installations*
A bit more than a year ago I brought my car to Audio Symphony to install the following (I provided all the parts):
— audio deck
— alarm system
— aftermarket electronic rearview mirror
— resistors for LED turn signals
— headlight & foglight HID kits
— wiring sidemarkers to blink
— custom taillight wiring (Chris thought they could, but they couldn’t)
— foglights PCM activation (Chris said they could, but they couldn’t)
Standard items (audio deck, alarm) were installed well, but everything else custom was questionable. They got my custom requests working the way I had wanted; however, one look under the hood at the craftsmanship and I started to have doubts. Wiring was a mess, but I didn’t know better at the time, I thought that was as good as it gets with complicated wiring. Eddy/​Hedy & Chris both worked on my car.
Chris led me to believe they were completely knowledgeable in these areas, but I ended up having to partake in the process of finding the proper resistors and how to install them. I went to them because they are experts, not because I wanted to do some of their work for them. I didn’t realize my vendor had sent me the incorrect resistors, they installed it, and Chris even tried to pass off to me the still hyperflashing turn signals as «better than before» (no son, they still blink fast as hell). Anyway, later got the correct parts and they reinstalled it (without charging me I believe), with my assistance in figuring out something I don’t know anything about.
*****
Caution: since my car battery is in the trunk, they should’ve known better than to attach my headlights/​foglights to the underhood terminal. I now know that having such high amperage reach all the way to the trunk for the battery can eventually cause the electrical system to burn out, which would leave me with no lights and possibly no turn signals/​brake lights! THEY SHOULD’VE ADVISED THAT I INSTALL A SEPARATE TERMINAL BLOCK UNDER THE HOOD TO CONNECT MY HIGH-​POWER ACCESSORIES. GROUNDS FOR A LAWSUIT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH.
*****
Lastly, there were about 2 instances of the job taking longer than expected because of the lights not blinking 100% properly after I inspected them, and at one point when I offered to pay for the service up to that point first (I felt bad that they weren’t getting their money because of these delays) Hatch rudely glared back at me and said «What’s the rush?» as if I’m trying to pay it off first to avoid any additional charges. I even stated I will pay for any additional costs, but I don’t think he heard it since he cut me off with his statement.
I’m writing this a year later because I recently had All Pro Audio in the southbay install new HID kits as well as repair alarm, horn, sidemarker wiring that’s been chewed out by a rat. After seeing their wiring work I now know that near-​OEM looking custom work is possible. A technician there even commented on how the wiring (before they worked on it) looked like «an octopus fcking a…» I forgot what. All Pro Audio’s work looks like they actually care. Audio Symphony’s work looked like they let volunteer toddlers do the wiring, and we all know toddlers don’t give a sh1te, especially when they’re not paid.
I expected more from this high end shop — this review would have been 3-​stars, but it’s not due to:
— the end result’s lack of tidiness
— the fact I had to help them with their expertise
— after lengthy discussion as to what they can do concerning an item they ended up only being able to do half of it (and I provided a detailed list)
— slight rudeness during the conversation about paying them
— the fact I had to make a few trips to pick up the car only to find out something wasn’t quite right
— part of the job was passed off as semi-​done when it clearly wasn’t
It’s not 1-​star because they got things working right. I wouldn’t have written a review had I still been in the dark about the relative quality of their custom work, but after seeing what’s out there just makes the rest of the experience unenjoyable & unneccessary.
*Bottom line: let them play with your alarm/​audio stuff, just don’t let them touch anything else, especially safety related items*

WOW!!! I just had the best, best, BEST experience at Audio Symphony, and am still thanking my lucky stars that I found my way into their showroom!!!
Truth be told, Mercedes Benz of San Francisco recommended them, which is a referral I hold in high regard. The team there honestly helped to get my beloved car into the 2^st Century, by hooking me up with a reasonably priced stereo solution that included a iPod integrated auxiliary (hidden in my glove box), Bluetooth streaming of Pandora, and everything from my phone (including Sirius radio… hey now!), and then the greatest possible thing ever— integrated hands-​free telephone integration!!! OMG, why did I wait so long?
The whole package, installation included, was less than $ 400! I worked with Hatch, who was quite honestly one of the sweetest, most helpful people that I could have hoped for (Chris was great, too!). Anyway, I’m super, super happy with my new Alpine stereo, and would recommend Audio Symphony to anyone without hesitation.

How disappointing. I’ve been a audiophile for over 14 years, and I understand shady characters, (the upselling, the overpricing to make you feel like he’s going to cut you a deal, etc) but I’ve never come across someone as condescending as Hatch. Once my audio equipment came in, he told me that all my equipment was low end and he could have gotten me better prices than what I got online. In what world is Morel, Hertz, Zapco, and McIntosh low end?
Go in there and pretend you don’t know anything about anything, and watch as he tries to pull the wool over your eyes… twice (I went back on 2 separate occasions because I really wanted to use them).
Upset that I went elsewhere to get my audio equipment, Hatch price gouged me at every opportunity for the installation. I’m not going to get into their equipment pricing because I understand they have a physical store in a prime location; it’s not easy to keep up with internet pricing. I knew they were going to be a bit more expensive, but it was because of Chris that I wanted to get the installation done there, and I had no problem paying for quality.
so let the price gouging begin… How so? Let me count the ways:
1. 250 to install front components
2. 250 to install rear components
3. 200 + 50 for a harness to install the back up camera
4. «You don’t just have any type of car (well, actually I do, Hatch), and i have to take a look at these amps but it will cost 250 in amp accessories, and another 650 to install 2 amplifiers.» So with tax, ~$ 1,000 to install 2 amplifiers?
Breaking it down… to install a head unit, 2 components, 2 amps, a sub, and a back up camera (again, i must clarify that i have ALL the equipment and the only hardware I would need are the cabling and dynomat), over 2,300 dollars including a bunch of random charges. There was no fabrication work needed. No custom boxes. No custom amp racks.
Chris on the other hand is a gem and an absolute straight shooter. In no uncertain terms is Chris worth 5 full stars. It was because of him that I purchased the 10″ Alpine Type R and enclosure for 2x what it costs online. A good faith gesture for trying to work with me. He even called back to see if I could come back in and possibly hammer things out.
Location was ultra convenient for me. Bummer.
Ok. /​rant.