When I do business with them, I leave with little question and if I later have questions with my installation or upgrade they have no problem with communicating this over and over and over If I need read more

I brought my 2012 Ford F150 to Gene's Audio after running into battery drain issues that pointed to the aftermarket audio system (2019) and rear-view camera (2024) installed by Gene's according to our local Ford dealership. When I dropped the truck off, Gene indicated that he was pretty sure the problem would be with the interface in the truck and he figured I would get the truck back the following day (Friday, 29 May). At 2pm Friday afternoon I called Gene's to ask about the truck and was told it wasn't the interface problem they anticipated and would require further troubleshooting. No completion estimate was provided. Called again on Monday, no update or estimate Called at 5pm Tuesday and was told higher profitable jobs got worked before my truck did and he would get mine fixed as soon as he could. I asked him if he could at least communicate with me as to the status updates... Wednesday no communication received Thursday morning at 1008am Gene sends this text... "John, just wanted to stay in touch." I walked into his shop about 2 minutes later and got the same "non-update" as on Tuesday. He did share with me that he had logged 3 hours troubleshooting over the last 7 days. I told Gene that based on his scheduling process it could take him 6 months to fix the truck... his response was along the line of...oh it won't take 6 months... Thursday noon I sent him the following text: "If you can find the time to solve the problem with our Ford F150 pickup today that would be beyond awesome! If not, I'd appreciate it if you could put her back in the condition she was in when you got her so I could settle up with you and pick her up tomorrow morning. I cannot afford to just keep hoping you will find time to solve the mystery." I called Gene's at 4pm Thursday and asked the gal that answered if they could confirm they had received my text. She indicated Gene had gotten it and his response was "no problem". On Friday morning I was told the truck was fixed. It was the interface originally thought to be the problem... $180 for parts, $600 for 4 hours labor. I'll give him credit for letting me know I was not his priority and he'd get to my truck when he could, after he already had my truck in the shop. I'll also never do business with him again and would never recommend him to anyone else for any kind of repair/troubleshooting. read more

had problem with blown speaker sound saw gene got set up excellent proffessional service never go anywhere else peter a feka read more

The staff were very professional and efficient and friendly. I have been a customer since 1975 and won't go anywhere for my audio needs but Gene's Audio Center. Thank you Reid Nelson read more

If you are thinking about coming here please don't. They try to upsell you on their car audio and get you to try and buy Jl audio like it's the best thing and everything else is trash. This isn't the 1990's there a plenty of other brands on par for a fraction of the price don't let them talk you out of it if you don't know much about car audio. As far as installation they prioritize cash buyers which is ridiculous. Meaning they will literally stop their work on your car if somebody comes in with cash which could technically mean your car could never be completed if he continuously kept getting cash for installation. My installation took weeks when I was told a couple of days. They make their money off manipulation and up charging. Please do not waste your time here. read more

If you have a challenging project concerning your cars audio system, Gene's is the way to go.

I went there with my 2012 chevy Cruze with the "base" stereo (tweeters in the windshield post / 5 inchers (or so) in front doors and the same in back doors. MY THOUGHTS were that I needed an amplifier to Make it sound better so I asked for one. I figured that it would not be invasive and I would not end up with rattling door panels. I was told that could be done but it was explained to me that with my budget of around $300 the best improvement would come from installing new speakers. (which incidentally would cost less than the amp, which I was fully ready to pay for) And, they promised, no rattles. I looked around the shop... a gazillion items of seemingly every bolt/connector, widget, amp, speaker, head unit in existence and I thought, well, they probably know better'n me. I went with it and the improvement was dramatic. There were no rattles, no signs they had taken off my door panels. Next, I'll them put in some tweeters. Some yelp reviewers complain of high price. Oh shut up. Yeah, you might save a couple bucks if you search around but really, they have it in stock, they do great careful work. Trust your car to them and trust their advice to get best bang for the buck. read more

They worked after closing to install my sons car stereo as I asked for an extra accessory to be added on at the last minute..loved the family owned and run environment..the tech spent an additional 30 mins to show me how to navigate through the setup and access all the options the stereo had.. read more

Don't do business with them for your own good. I brought in a 2017 mustang Ecoboost and all I wanted was a upgrade radio wise and before I purchased one I told Gene specifically three times that I wanted one that will still allow everything to work in my car that did on the factory radio and he pointed me to a 3 different radios and said that they would work. Unfortunately after it was installed everything factory wise didn't work definitely the phone button on the steering wheel and they said they could try to fix it. Turned out they did fix it but only by installing some kind of interface regarding the steering wheel which cost me a extra $101.00, so otherwise that radio that Gene said was compatible for my car wasn't. And ahead of that I started having issues with the AC controls AFTER the install which was on the part that holds the radio in. They took it apart and looked at it and claimed that they couldn't find anything and pointed at factory but the factory radio is in now and 2 Ford dealerships have already said that radio was not compatible but Gene is saying different just because a little air is blowing out at the top with the factory and BOTH Ford dealerships said that is supposed to happen. What isn't supposed to happen is air isn't supposed to come out while AC is fully off and you have no control over the AC at all. Now again everything is working like it's supposed to since factory is back in and 2 Ford dealerships have said so but Gene's audio refuses to except it's on them and wants to just put the radio back in instead of sending it back and giving me my refund for the radio and dash. I fully 100% except that they did labor by putting it in so I'm not asking for that back. But taking about labor, who ever gets them to do anything for them make sure you get them to right it on a piece of paper regarding how much it will cost because when it was said and done with me they charged me double what they said it was going to be above max!! Also they have had to work on my car 3 times regarding this bull and they did a good job by not making a mess in the car but this last time marks were on the passenger door cloth and something is shaking/loose behind the bored to the right of the steering wheel and it's driving me crazy since I got to deal with this now. Now As of today I'm going to go to visit 2 more Ford dealerships including a few audio shops and get their say so on all this. If anything changes then I will change this review but if they all say the same thing that the 2 I already contacted and visited and Gene's audio still refuses to do anything it's staying this way. It's fully up to them. Update: This went as far as small claims court and unfortunately I lost the case just because I had a second audio shop remove the remaining parts which was the antenna and small speaker when everything else was already removed by Gene's Audio. They claimed it could have harmed the parts since Gene's audio didn't remove it are some bull and those parts weren't even plugged in because there was nothing for them to be plugged into in the first place, Gene's Audio already removed everything and unplugged everything for gods sake. All I know now is this is why my brother in law warned me about going there and told me that over half the marines on Cherry point base are warned not to go there as well and told to stay away. But if you read this and don't want to take this seriously then at least get Gene to right down on a sheet of paper the price before doing anything and make sure you keep up with the recipes and records regarding everything done there. read more

Super knowledgeable. Great products. Great service. Couldn't be happier with my experience!

I can tell you that any business in Havelock that's been around for over 30 years is still here for good reason. They've been ripping our Marines and our community off for years. They markup everything they sell by 35-50 percent, tell you that your current install is garbage just so they can rip you off on rewiring everything that isn't needed. They charged my son $50 for an inline fuse you can get online for $12. Mike is the rudest person I ever I met and thinks he knows everything, but he hooked my 15's up to my small amp meant to push 6x9's instead of the big amp. He talks to you like your stupid. They will charge triple the cost of any copper wire they install in your vehicle. You can buy a spool of it cheaper than what they charge for five feet. Just total rip offs. And I hope you like JL Audio products cause they'll tell you your speakers and system is trash if they can't up-sell you on their over-priced JL AUDIO equipment! They take advantage of young kids and our Marines!!! read more

Gene's Audio has the friendliest staff and they are all very knowledgeable of the latest audio equipment available.

Went to Gene's Audio the first of last year and had a Dash Cam installed in my car.. Excellent work on the installation and explanation of how everything works. In fact is was good enough for me to go back just before Christmas and ask Gene if they could come up with a radio for my wife's old 1993 Lincoln Town Car (her baby since 1995) and sure enough they did. I also mention to Gene that it would be nice if I could get her a back- up unit for the old car and to my surprise he did. It was a combination radio and back up unit. With that old of a car I thought installation might be a problem but it wasn't for the installers in the back... THEY ARE GREAT!!! Thanks Gene and thank your installers. PS. I will see you again in the near future probably for a Back-up Unit for my car. :) Wesley M. read more

The work they did on my car is great they show you how it works and what they did but don't let them sell you on them telling you they do everything by the book and no one else does it there way. The true downfall is there pricing they overcharge on everything I would recommend looking up exactly what you want so you know how much it is ahead of time. I wouldn't go back again. read more

So apparently, they charge wayyyy too much. They told me that my setup would cost around a thousand dollars. First they took everything single piece of info I have. They scanned my drivers license, my military ID, my car insurance, my registration, they wanted my LES for proof of income, they have my address, etc. I gave them all my info just to get a quote on the financing that they offered. So I leave pist off and come back a couple months later... they have all of my info on file. In the "pending cabinet". So if I'm military personel do you really think I want you to hold all my info?! Fuck no. So hey wth, I have them install it. They first told me it'll take 4 hrs to do they job starting at 6 and they said they don't leave til the job is done. I wait til 8 and they give me a "loner vehicle". I take the loaner assuming I'll have my car back by that night. I call back to check on the progress, they tell me that someone else came in and paid cash so they had stopped working on mines and had started working on someone else's til theirs was done. Okay so where does that makes sense at? If someone's paying you financing or with cash you should do it in order. Not put people ahead of you just because they paid cash. Because all that does is stress out the people that finance the equipment. Horrible organizational skills. So after that I say okay that's fine, (being the nice person that I am). They tell me that it should be done tomarrow around noon. That I should be able to come pick it up by my lunch break. So I wait til the next day. I don't even bother calling or going up there to check on my car until 4. They tell me that IT IS STILL NOT READY. WTH were you doing for the past day? Twiddling your fucking thumbs?! They said they were about halfway done. I said okay. Gene(the owner) told me it should be done by 7/8 o'clock. I call exactly at 8 and a guy gets a attitude with me saying hi is this ********. I say yes I was calling to check on the progress of my vehicle.? And they tell me yes it will be done around 9 just give us a minute and "we will call you". So I say okay.... thanks bye. I go up there at around 9 and they say it's almost finished. I'm waiting still. Finally, at 11pm they give me my car back. Honestly, not worth the stress. If i has to do it all over again. I'd buy the products and have someone else install it. read more

Great place, they make you feel right at home , great service wouldn't of wanted to go anywhere else nothing less then absolute happy with how they helped me pick out radio and speakers and the deals they have with everything and saved me I suggest you go there for any radio/speaker installations or buying needs! read more

The age-old adage holds true..you get what you pay for. Sure, you can purchase and/or install through someone else, likely for a little bit cheaper price. I know because I made that mistake buying my Pioneer AVH-P8400BH through Cruchfield.com and having it installed by Cool Image in Morehead City. When I picked my vehicle up from Cool Image they were not able to get my warning chimes or steering wheel controls to work properly. More importantly, the speakers would go in and out as the Cool Image tech was walking me through the install. Their answer....yeah, I could not get that to work as if I was supposed to be okay with that. Short story long at this point, I contacted Gene explaining my problems. I quickly learned that he and his installer Mike have been doing this for a very long time. Doesn't matter the vehicle, stereo or speaker make and model, these guys can figure it out and get it right the first time! Gene also installed a new stereo in my daughter's vehicle. He matched the price I could have obtained elsewhere and the labor cost was worth every penny and then some. If you want peace of mind that it is done right the first time with a warranty to back up the parts and labor without having to go directly to the supplier this is the best installation you will find in the area. Gene has all of my future business and that of my friends and family. read more

I remember a long time ago when I was a young Marine. I went there and left without a 1000 dollars of my money. Looking back it was a lesson learned. I would recommend against using this buisness and go to an area with more competition. This guys location is great as he has a constant flow of young military guys like I was thinking I was getting the greatest deal in the world. read more

I went here in 1987. They installed one of the first car CD players in my 1987 CRX SI. Well kind of. They had not yet made a real CD player for a car back then so Gene got a Sony Diskman and put it on a stand. with shocks so it wouldnt skip. It was awesome! He also put an 18 inch sub in the back with a few amps. It was the loudest system known to man at the time. People were amazed to see a CD player in a car that would play while you drove. These guys were top notch then and 35 years later still are. read more

Have you ever watched a place stay in business for years and years but you can't understand why? Maybe your own experiences and that of others you talk to are always negative, but they seem to survive it all. Well Gene's Audio is that place. I have first hand knowledge of them selling stereo systems on credit to seventeen year olds. Over the years they have offered free estimates then attempted to charge for the estimate holding the item hostage. This is a direct quote from the manager on duty who presented himself as the owner but wasn't, "You can't expect me to strand behind what an employee tells you." So how do they do it? My take and that of many others is that the transient population of young servicemen keeps them going. That model is very common around military installations and it seems to work. I had a friend tell me to stay clear of this place. I should have listened. read more

Gene's has installed stereos in two RVs, two cars and a truck for me. I also had an alarm system installed on my CanAm Spyder. They do beautiful work. read more

Great experience, sound advice, and excellent workmanship. Couldn't be more pleased!!!!

Great selection of premium car audio components, especially JL Audio and Clarion. Excellent service and knowledgeable. Gene is a great guy, knows what he is talking about, and was very helpful. I took my JL subwoofer in and he checked it at no charge, gave me a great deal on a new JL amplifier, and I got a Christmas card in the mail! The best thing was I wasn't pushed or up sold to buy anything, advice was given on how to troubleshoot my issue, in the end it was an amplifier and I was quoted below the MSRP. I'm not a permanent resident here, but I would definitely recommend Gene's to anyone in the area looking for an upgrade to their system. read more

I recently just got a complete JL Audio system installed in my 2016 Jeep Wrangler. The store owner Gene was vastly knowledgeable on all of the equipment in his store. He never tried to push me to buy the big ticket items and gave his expertise on every speaker I asked about. They even do a price match guarantee. I left the store and went home to do my research, all of the speakers sold to me were priced roughly 10 to 20 cheaper in his store than it was on amazon. Everyone including myself can complain about the 60$ an hour install fee, but you get what you pay for. They did a fantastic job on vehicle and it was put back exactly how I dripped it off to them. Excellent set of business owners, will gladly do business with them again. read more

I've been in Havelock for almost 40 years. Gene's has always been a place to AVOID. I recently attempted a second visit (I'm a firm believer in shopping local if possible) after almost 20 years (thinking things may have changed) and requested notification of cost prior to them doing the work. They called after 9:30 PM to tell me they were over $300 in work on a radio we had already spent almost $600 on with installation. Some things never change and this place is one to avoid. Go to New Bern or Morehead City instead. The other reviews were probably done by friends and employees. read more

Great service! The staff at Gene's were very helpful and went above and beyond what they were hired to do. I'll definitely go back when it's time to replace the rest of my speakers. read more

I had a full set up installed here. The prices for equipment are very fair, all of the components I researched were a little under Crutchfield's prices. The service was absolutely outstanding! I really can't say enough about how kind and helpful everyone was. They took the time to show me many different items and explain the differences. They also did not push the higher ticket pieces on me, which made a serious impression. The cost of installation was not cheap, but it seemed fair and reasonable, especially considering the phenomenal service. And they have a loaner car! read more

There is a sign on the front desk at Gene's that says something along the lines of, "Please wait to be helped. It may take some time, but someone else is getting the world-class service that you will soon receive!" I came into Gene's for a very simple, though inexpensive, product, with all the information the guys there might need to find what I was looking for. I was told it would be a few minutes...an hour later, after listening to shop talk between the proprietor and a few customers who were buying a very expensive woofer system, after watching one customer walk in and receive help before me, I got the "world-class service" someone else was supposedly receiving while I waited: a "here it is" and a brush off the shoulder...plus $10 more for the product than what I had been quoted originally. I don't know if it was because I wasn't making them a big sale, or if it was because I was a woman who they believed didn't know anything about audio equipment...either way, I am scrapping my plans for bringing them my broken receiver for repair and buying a few subs...offensive service! To be fair, the woman who works there spent a very long time trying to find me what I needed, but as she didn't know anything about the product, it took far longer than it would have if the owner had stopped his chit chat for 5 minutes and gotten it. She was very kind, and I appreciate her service. Regardless, I will not be going to Gene's again. read more