Northwest Audio Service

I don’t know where to start. For now I am simply going to give John the highest rating possible until I have time to truly describe what a fascinating pleasure it was to meet him and get a peek at a true expert and a fine man. In short, he fixed my amps in a day for a very fair price and gave me a step back in time into a world that I would like to believe was common at one time. I saw a one star review on Unilocal.Methinks that the author of that review probably brought the trouble on himself.

Complete and utter waste of time and energy. Guy had my amplifier for nearly THREE months, and looked at it once. For the last six weeks I have been calling him weekly to get to it, and the response is always, «Oh, call me on Tuesday… I’ll have looked at it by then.» I call on Tuesday, and it’s «Oh, call me next Friday…»
On ad infinitum for two solid months.
In addition to being a waste of time, while in his care, my amp suffered many scrapes and scratches, including a huge gash across the LED screen… I’m not surprised… NAS is a complete pig sty and it’s clear equipment left for repairs is not treated with much regard.
From other reviews for this guy it appears others have been more successful at getting their equipment repaired, but that was the antithesis of my experience – I quite frankly couldn’t be less impressed. You’ve been warned.

Old fashioned service from an expert. I called John up to ask about bringing in an old United Audio turntable I was having issues with. He guessed the problem before I even told him what it was, then proceeded to spend 20 minutes on the phone with me telling me how to fix it. When it became clear to me that I was not the man for the job and told him I’d bring it in, he advised me to first go online and purchase the small part he would need because it would be much cheaper and faster for me that way.
After getting the steurpimpel (the little part I needed) sent from Germany, I dropped the turntable off at the wonderfully cramped shop, packed with turntables and receivers from the front of the store to the back. Stacks on stacks on stacks. It’s clear when you walk in that this is more a passion than a business.
It turned out my turntable, long dormant, had a number of issues to fix. John spent several hours on it getting it to work smoothly, and the bill was extremely fair. When it turned out I hadn’t brought in enough money to pay for it, John said not to worry about it, and just to send him a check when I got around to it.
You just don’t have many experiences with a business like this. 100% recommend.

John was really kind to provide some free guidance over the phone. The Technics 1200 MK2 I just purchased has an RCA cable out. Hopefully the fix works but if not John was kind to suggest another outfit in town that would best be able to help. That was really nice of him — Good Karma points are due!

This place is great! John was so helpful. He’s quite friendly and very knowledgeable. He was able to get me up an running same day. I highly recommend him. Rare breed in a business now where, if it breaks, you’re usually advised to just buy a new one. Check out if you need a quality piece of audio kit fixed.

John ROCKS!
I called John to schedule a drop off of my vintage ’70’s receiver. He asked me for the symptoms and diagnosed the issue over the phone. I still had to bring it in for the fix, but he was quite clear on the repair time frame. While it took a little longer to fix than was disclosed to me I could not be happier with the outcome. Beautiful!
I have taken my vintage stereo equipment to John for more than a decade. I travel from Snoqualmie and the two hour round trip is always more than worth it.

I do not want to write this review. I do not want you to go there. If you go there it means that it will take that much longer for me to get my receiver back. Also, I doubt that John gives a shit about Unilocal.He doesn’t need the business.
But I can resists. Being a fan of vintage audio I have to tell someone that John knows his stuff. Call out a model # (Sansui 500x…), and model # and John will give you a thoughtful story about it, and most likely have one in the shop for one of his customers.
Not only is this the best audio shop in the world, it is old school Seattle. It’s honest, they do great work, and it’s always a pleasure to stop by. Not only to chat with John but almost every guy that comes in there is a vintage audio guy and has a story or two about his favorite speaker/​amp combo.
I hope that this place stays open forever (and that you don’t go there)

Its worth a trip to Mr. Ledbetter just to meet him. He has been at work since the 40s. He’s 71 at this writing and going strong. The storefront is small on Aurora, so watch for it, it can go by quickly. Parking out front except at rush hours (bus lane). If you need either repair of audio equipment or are looking for a value and a bargain and a man who stands behind what he sells you, this is the place. For audiophiles, John is also a walking history lesson in the evolution of audio, an anthropologist of people and places that were and the few that still are who repair things in the region, and not just Seattle.
peter m herford

There’s a reason this place seems to get nothing but 5 star ratings!
If you have an old piece of hi-​fi equipment in need of some love, but are afraid of what it might cost to have someone fix it, fear not! The owner here (John) is one of the nicest folks around, who loves to chat and share stories. He will get your beloved gear back up to health in short order, and for a much lower price than you might expect — No gouging here at all, just honest work!
In an era where most people replace rather than repair things, it’s great to have this blast from the past around, because when it comes to stereo gear, the old cliché «They don’t build ‘em like they used to!» is true. I’ll definitely be back the next time I need any hi-​fi gear repaired.

I called to ask a question about my receiver and the proprietor diagnosed the problem and helped me fix it myself over the phone. Very knowledgeable and helpful. I will definitely make a point to visit his shop when I have other audio repair issues. Thank you!

John’s the best. Simply can’t beat a guy who knows his business inside & out, is honest & charges a fair rate. Bonus: incredibly nice & a terrific storyteller!

John is the nicest, most knowledgable audio store owner ever! Great experience. Fixed my turntable in 5 minutes with no trouble… and no charge this time. I’ll be back

I just called and he knows everything and everyone involved in audio

John is a good guy. He’ll get excited about your old gear, particularly if its in nice condition, and he knows what to do to get it working good. He’ll give you a starting figure and get your approval if it goes over. I’d be amazed if there’s any brand he doesn’t know about. I got the history of my lesser-​known second tier Quadraphonics receiver (my grandfather’s in mint condition), and it was a cool story.
Considering the fact that many components of stereo gear have gone down in quality, not up, it’s worth 100 bucks to get your old receiver or amplifier roaring again.
If you’re under 30, I highly recommend going here just to see what American and Japanese technology used to look and feel like, though I’m not sure how he would feel about you just coming in to take a look, but as long as you have some brains he’ll probably greet you well.
If you’re over 35 or 40, this place will remind you of places your Dad or Uncle took you in the 70s and 80s, when real men didn’t throw away their beloved Hi-​FI gear, they got it repaired by respected technicians. If you show any knowledge or inclination, though John will talk you ear off, so don’t keep bringing up topics if you don’t want to talk a while. John’s not doing this forever though. Go there while you can.
Just don’t go in there with an attitude or expecting to be out in 3 minutes. This place is to be taken at a savory pace.

Most reviews are glowing, and a couple are very low due to the amount of time they spent waiting for their stuff. I get that. But no question you should take your stuff there to be fixed and fixed properly. John will dig into your electronics like nobody else. Now he might have it done in record time or it could take a while. If it takes a while then take out a loaner unit or something. I find that dealing with John is one of life’s disappearing pleasures. He is a craftsman and a character that when he’s not there anymore he will be badly missed. Your «stuff» to be repaired isn’t life-​altering. He’s not a McDonalds drive-​through. He’s a craftsman. If we had a world where all service providers were like John, it would be something glorious. And we would all be much more at ease.

Called in today fully prepared to have to haul my powered amp in for repairs but instead got a crash course on my problem and a good explanation on how to fix it.
I have the utmost respect for a business that respects my intelligence and time like that. I now know where I’ll be taking ALL of my repair business.

John is a straight-​shooter, a nice guy, and knows what he’s doing.
What more could you ask for?

John is the most marvelous of anachronistic men, meant in the best way, but it pains me greatly to say that. Not only is he uninfected by audiophilia, but he is an astute observer of the principle «If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.» Now that people forego listening to proper Hi-​Fi and restrict their listening to little iPod dock toys, I do not know who among millennials is going to pick up the knowledge required to keep proper audio equipment in working order. When John decides to call it quits, a vast reservoir of audio repair knowledge will be inaccessible.
He is dead-​honest and incredibly knowledgeable. Some years ago I brought him vintage Hitachi and Denon tuners for tuneups; he tested both according to proper RF protocols, found nothing wrong, and sent me on my way within days for very little expense.

Home town honesty. John knows his stuff and is very fair with his prices.
I had a pioneer sx-​737 and a turntable with some problems and a week later picked them up in perfect working order for $ 105. John is the best!!!

I brought my 20 year old Rotel amp to Definitive Audio for service (they are the local factory-​authorized service center) and they referred me to Northwest Audio Service. John cleaned, poked, and prodded until he found the culprit (a fried diode). In less than a week he had me ready to go. Even taped the dead diode to my bill so I could see what had happened. My final bill was HALF what it would’ve cost me just to get my amp up on a bench at Definitive Audio. John absolutely knows his stuff. I recommend him wholeheartedly and without reservation to anyone who chooses to repair their high-​end audiophile equipment.
I can only only confirm the previous reviewer’s suggestion that you allow plenty of time when you drop off/​pick up. John is a talker. A charming and most helpful talker to be sure, but definitely a talker.