Always able to repair my Onyko Amp/Receiver. Honest with me about the marantz not repairable.

Date service was requested: 12/19/2024 Service requested: Marshall DSL40CR power tube repair Description of Issue: Tubes blew out during playing session and there was a flash / sizzle before dying out to no volume. Actual issue: Power tubes fried out, one regular tube went microphonic during or after the repair. Service completed (partially): 2/27/2025 These guys took 1/3 of a year (4 months) to replace two power tubes. They were almost non-responsive throughout the process and did not provided updates. Luckily I'm a hobby musician and this did not affect my livelyhood, but if you were working in the arts i would strongly advise steering clear of this place. Learn how to service your own amps, you can order the parts from the same places as these guys do and get your own work done much faster. Not to mention, after 4 months of waiting for my primary tube amp to come home... It gets home with a busted / microphonic tube. I dont think Mike or these guys at this place actually check the amps too thoroughly. read more

I took my mpc 3000 to get fixed. One of the buttons. Soft keys fell inside. Had to pay 50 dollars even tho this machine is worth 20 times that. And get the pads working. So it took a while and when I went to pick it up. He changed all 4 bottoms without even calling me to ask. They are white not tan Ike the originals. Looks weird. And got home and it still didn't play when you hit the pads. Smh. He said he didn't know even though it was on the ticket. I live far from the place and he told me I would have to pay 50 dollars again lol. To have it seen. read more

Joe C Dropped off my vintage Pioneer SX-1250 Receiver for repair. The speaker channels were not working properly. Very faint and sometimes no sound, just crackle noise was coming through. It took about 5 weeks to repair, but well worth the wait. The receiver works to perfection now. My appreciation goes out to Midwest Audio for a job well done .Thanks again. Joe C. read more

This place will be closed soon I'm willing to bet. I wonder how the fire chief feels about this fire hazard of a place. Mike and crew are not fantastic. They are a scam. I brought my amp there beginning of June, to not get it until mid-end September. I waited patiently. Got it back and they did absolutely nothing to it. It's even dirtier than the first time I brought it in. Called to ask for a refund and before I could even talk to Mike the owner, I got a bunch of attitude from some ignorant lady, then Mike answers after I talked to the technician in denial, and refused to refund me. I don't understand why he wouldn't want to avoid further trouble like bad reviews and reports to the BBB and all the other sites I can report this. Mike obviously does not care for his business, employees (they sound unhappy) and especially not customers. Not a good company. STAY FAR AWAY read more

This place has legendary poor service. Took my RTR in to have the meters checked out as they were occasionally dropping. Kept my deck 6 weeks and said it was repaired. Problem came back right after their 90-day warranty expired. Had to pay another bench fee for the same repair. They kept the deck a shorter amount of time the second time and said it was repaired. In the meantime, they advised that they were moving from their office location to a personal residence (who knows what that is about but it smells like a lost lease). Called me and told me the repair was complete and I drove to this house where they had set up shop in the garage. Was just happy to rescue my deck from being outside and susceptible to dust/damage. Well as you might have guessed, the original problem has returned and now they say that only factory warranty repairs are now being done - no consumer repairs, so I am screwed. Wasted three hundred bucks on this scam shop. read more

Mike and crew are fantastic. I play guitar professionally in Las Vegas for some prominent artist, Cher, Donnie And Marie etc. Mike has been servicing my amp heads for the last 10yrs. Always fast and perfect. Thanks guys for great service . read more

Mike came to my dad's rescue fixing his Pioneer flat screen. He was completely honest and didn't try to sell anything he actually didn't need. He brought a part he thought he needed and found out AFTER installing the part, that it actually wasnt the problem afterall. He could've left the part in and racked up the bill hundreds of dollars, but was honest and removed it and then reinstalled his old one! People thse days aren't always that honest!! He was meticulous with everything he did and impressed my dad beyond belief. Very very happy with his service and help! read more

For authorized repairs on your pro audio gear this place is tops. Check website for brands http://www.midwestaudio.net/Warranty.htm They probably have a month wait list, so pay the $30 rush fee and get your gear within days if they have the parts. I've taken a few pieces out of warranty and their service tech brought them back to life. They have a $45 bench fee just to look at your stuff (which can take a month without the rush fee) before they will quote you an estimate, but this gets applied to the repair cost. Not perfect, but quality work and friendly customer service at the counter. read more

Mike, obviously you have no self respect! I brought a drum module in for repair, then paid a 50 dollar bench fee plus 30 dollars to have you look at it in a week. After 2 weeks I called to get an update. Mike said the part I needed was no longer available, so the module couldn't be fixed. I was still out the full 80 dollars Even though Mike did nothing other than call to order a part. Last time I will go there. I teach at 3 music schools. All my musician friends and students will learn about Mike! read more

Watch yourself here. I brought in a vintage integrated amplifier for a repair. I carefully explained the problem. I paid the bench fee. I was charged an additional fee for repair. The unit was returned exhibiting the same problem, requiring me to bring it back. Rather than honor their repair warranty, they charged an additional fee for parts and refused to credit me for the previous unnecessary repairs. Clearly, there are valid reasons why this place has such low ratings. At least their receptionist is pleasant. The owner is not. read more

I was at Midwest Audio today at 10:45 am. The guy behind the counter was not wearing a mask and refused to put one on. I immediately left and told him I refused to do business with someone not wearing a mask. I have done business with Midwest Audio for nearly 20 years. I won't return until they fire the guy who doesn't believe there is a pandemic going on. I have never liked the fact that items will sit there for over a month unless you pay a fee to expedite repairs. read more

I would not let them wind my wristwatch. Total incompetence. Dropped off 2 15" Cerwin Vega woofers for refoam. 11 days and $180 later, I get them home only to find a 1st grader must have worked on them with Elmer's glue. Both voice coils were rubbing and one wouldn't allow the cone to travel at all, which means the didn't use shims to align coil for concentricity. Obviously just removed the retaining ring and glued the new foam on. one was so off center the whole cone was pulled to one side. Overdose of glue which is going to make them unrepairable unless I do a complete recone. Will never recommend them to anyone. If you want to turn your high-end gear into junk, this is the place for you. read more

Extremely long time to turn over a unit compared to industrial averages. Failed to inform consumer about option Onkyo provides to consumer to have any equipment shipped to Onkyo facility if service provider can not turn around unit in 15-20 days provided consumer provides packaging. Before going to service center, call Onkyo for specifics about your warranty rights. Unfortunately only Authorized service center I know in Chicago area. Also Onkyo will not reimburse expedited service. read more

People deserve better. I brought them a piece of hi-fi equipment that I've used regularly, and a few small parts needed replacing. Although I paid them for an estimate, they refused to give me a *written* estimate because it's "against company policy". Alas, we all know what that means: they know they're trying to rip you off and they don't want you to be able to prove it by comparing their estimate to another. Basically, their estimate was a hoax. They made up some problems so they could charge much more money to fix them. (They have some other scams too, such as encouraging customers to come in without an appointment, but telling you when you get there that they're so busy they won't look at what you brought for 3 months unless you pay them a $30 "rush" fee.) I recommend using a different repair shop. read more

I only went here because Onkyo sent me here. They fixed the problem but it quickly came back. Since the work was under warranty I took it back. Turns out it was a day or two past warranty and they wouldn't honor their work. They had clearly not fixed the problem in the first place. The low rating on this place shows you that it is a poorly run business. read more

Samsung 67" TV repair in my home. $450 to replace DLP chip. A day later, I noticed picture wasn't centered properly (not a consumer fix via the remote control). Requires an adjustment where the back of the set is removed. Called Midwest Audio to schedule a quick adjustment to the TV. That was over 4 weeks ago, and multiple calls since then. No reply from them despite multiple promises to contact the technician. I'm sorry I ever called them in the first place. Terrible service and my Samsung still isn't displaying properly. Zero stars, not the one-star you see here. read more

Mike came to our home to repair failing keys on our Roland electronic grand piano. Excellent on time professional service, job done right the first time. What more can you ask for? Give Mike and his company my highest marks. Great job guys, thanks! read more

Over a month and 5 calls to Midwest audio to repair a toshiba dlp tv. First call they never called back. Called back a few days later and the lady said they would call back but didn't. Called back again and tech did call back and he seemed knowledgeable saying it was one or more of 3 things. One was a power board, another board I can't remember or a firmware update. He said he would order the firmware update from toshiba and try it. That night I found the firmware update on the web and sent it to him along with the instructions I found to install it. Never heard from him again. I guess it has only been a month. Calling the jerks at Toshiba to find someone else. read more

Nice people. Very competent techs. They are a little backed up - took 3 wks and the repair of my 65" Toshiba 4K was great. Reasonable prices. Would definitely go back. read more

My 5 year old top line Samsung is all of a sudden has a half black half white screen. I open it up, do a visual, make sure all the ribbons are seated correctly, find nothing wrong, they are seated and in good shape. $50 for Midwest Audio to have a look, fair enough. They say they will replace t-con board for additional $281.80. Do not owe if does not fix. OK. Replace, fixes but opac bars on left side. Need a whole new panel for additional $1,766.80. Hmm, seems strange to me that both went bad. They offer to dispose of it for me. I say put it back the way it was and I will come get it. I get it home and screen is not half black half white but all snowy. Hmm. I order a t-con board on eBay for $200. Replace it TV not working, snowy. I inspect the ribbons, and some of the ribbons metal contacts have been scrapped off! I order a new set of ribbons for $20 and the TV works beautifully!! CROOKS! read more

Sent my Behringer tuner to be repaired as it had been dropped and the faceplate was cracked. I paid them their $45 diagnostic fee. I didn't hear from them for about 5 weeks. So I called and was told someone would call me back-never happened. I sent 2 or 3 emails-no response. That all happened in May of '11. Fast forward to November when I finally got an email stating that the repair would cost more than the unit is worth. It took them 8 months and my $45 to figure that out? Midwest Audio used to be the premiere repair facility in the Chicagoland area but their service has deteriorated into a "maybe you'll get good service, maybe you won't" type of operation. They offered no amends whatsoever for their poor service. Use them for repairs at your own risk! read more

Just to preface-Midwest Audio does not have Better Business Bureau accreditation and they have one complaint filed against them through the BBB, which to no surprise to me, they failed to respond to...this should have been a red flag to me, and I admit it, my bad. I brought my amp in for repairs in October 2010, about 1 month later (I refused to pay their "rush" fee) I was contacted and told I would need new power tubes and the repairs would be about $350. I told them to fix the amp. Several weeks later I picked up my amp. I used it about 3 times for band rehearsals. A few days later, while in the middle of a performance, the fuse blew and I was unable to use the amp to finish the performance. Figuring Midwest Audio did not repair the amp properly I took it to Chicago Music Exchange. After their technician looked at it, I got a call telling me I had been "ripped off" by Midwest Audio as they used the cheapest tubes available, (which were no good), and they failed to do a proper diagnoses check on the amp which would have led to the discovery that the preamp tubes needed replacement as well as the power tubes. I had to pay another $450 for ALL new tubes. When I wrote a letter to Midwest Audio asking for an explanation as to how this could have happened/been overlooked, and requesting at least a partial refund, their response was that the CME technician did not know what he was talking about. They refused to refund any of my money and further more told me that because I brought the amp to another shop, I had voided their warranty. An explanation was never offered as to how the need for new preamp tubes was overlooked and why my amp failed a few weeks after they "repaired" it. My recommendation...go to Chicago Music Exchange for your amp repairs. My amp is working like the day I bought it. They charge less to look at your gear, they repair it in less time and more importantly, they repair it properly. read more

Dropped off PIONEER receiver for WARRANTY repair. Dates I was told for them to get it on the bench for diagnosis and repair came and went without notification. Follow up calls by me were met by belligerent employees and repairman. I picked up the 'repaired' receiver weeks after it was promised. In addition to original problem which still existed after the repair, new problems surfaced. After wasting my time speaking to the 'manager' I gave up and called PIONEER directly. Pioneer provided great customer service by replacing the receiver with a brand new model. Pioneer is great. MIDWEST AUDIO breaks promises and fails to successfully repair. read more

I am a mobile DJ, and I depend on prompt repairs in order to be ready for parties and events. I went to Midwest Audio and dropped off a pair of powered speakers, i was told the same story about a wait time of 5-6 weeks before they can even look at it. ...but I could pay $30 to RUSH it, Well, any improvement on 5-6 weeks would be considered a RUSH. 3 weeks later....I was told that the repairs were going to be about $120. I said OK, a week later....nothing. 2 weeks later...nothing. 3 weeks later nothing......I ended up having to buy a second set of speakers to do my parties. Midwest Audio blamed the Manufacturer for the lack of spare parts and told me that they will be on top of it to fix it asap. 1 week later....nothing. It actually took for me to conference in the manufacturer and Midwest Audio in a 3-way to coordinate the spare parts to be shipped out. What a joke ! I rather take the drive to Chicago and find another repair center. We need another option in the NW Burbs.....whoever opens up another repair shop will make lots of coin. I think the quality and service of MA has declined over the years.....perhaps in part to the lack on competitors in the area. read more

Twenty years ago I had a pair of JBL 110's with disintegrating surrounds on the woofers after ten years of faithful service. Midwest Audio was the 'authorized' repair center. They informed me that the warranty had run out six months before, and JBL would only authorize them to re-cone ALL the drivers at a cost of $250. Out of frustration (and ignorance) I threw those classic speakers in the dumpster. Last week, I wanted to get a pair of Cerwin Vega D7 woofers repaired, and Midwest is close by, so I called them for an estimate. FOUR days later they called back and said, "There aren't any parts available". After twenty years, Midwest Audio still sucks. I wish I could give them 0 stars. Fortunately I took these speakers and crossovers to Van L Speakerworks in Norridge and got quality work done for a reasonable price. read more

I normally don't pay attention to website reviews much less write one. The service I received at Midwest Audio forced me to change my on writing one. I purchased an Onkyo TX-NR709 receiver in late 2012 as a replacement for my 21 year old Onkyo TX-SV15Pro II that was being passed on to a relative. While watching the Super Bowl 50 I noticed that there was no sound from the left channel. As I did a brief visual inspection of the connections in the back of the receiver I noticed that there was cat hair on top of the receiver. As I looked closer there was more cat hair on the inside than the outside. Needless to say I was not a happy camper. I disconnected the receiver and dropped it off at Midwest Audio the next day (88 miles round trip). Upon drop off I was told there was a $50 deposit that would be put towards the repair. I received a call from them 10 days later asking where and when I purchased the receiver. At first I wondered why they would ask such questions. Then came the bad news, they told me that the HDMI board was bad, and that the total would be in the $450 range for parts and labor. Then came the spark of hope. I was told that there was a Warranty recall from Onkyo on the HDMI board, and that they were checking the serial number to confirm if my receiver would be covered. Two days later they confirmed that my receiver was listed in the Warranty recall from Onkyo regarding the defective HDMI board that affected HDMI inputs, left channel audio, and network connectivity. Best of all the Warranty covered parts and labor. Now since I did not know about the Warranty recall Midwest Audio could have made a sweet profit from me and the Warranty work but they didn't. They were very honest and above board throughout the entire process. Since my experience with Midwest Audio I have told this story a few dozen times and with each telling I make sure they know I completely recommend Midwest Audio for repair work on audio and video equipment. If Midwest Audio ever decides to get in to Auto repair and decides to become Midwest Auto I know where I'll take my car. read more

Look elsewhere! Brought in a guitar amp for warranty repair. Was told it would be about four weeks. Not too thrilled about that, but hey, it's under warranty. A month goes by and I call to see where they are at. Amp hasn't even made it to the bench yet and was told "we're are a little behind and it should be six to eight weeks." UNACCEPTABLE! The only reason I am giving it one star, other than the fact that I have to give one, is that she did make an effort to have it rushed to service. A few days later I get the call to come pick it up. Get it home and nothing was fixed. When I looked at the work order, there wasn't a single diagnostic of a problem. Amongst some cleaning that was done was "re soldered some parts." Ummm...that is a little vague! When I called to ask what the specific problem was, they did NOT have an answer. I was asked to bring the amp back in for service. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Amp had to be shipped to the manufacturer for repair. read more