Alan Gold is old-school service, support, and dedication in everything he does. He has excellent, easy-to-talk-to techs (Luis was as warm as he was masterful), and has been doing this since before people knew what a CD was. He's iconically earnest and perfectly cantankerous about getting you the best hardware and/or service he knows of. And he knows everything. He has the tall trophies, broken bones, and big belt buckles from literally decades of rodeos. When I first started working with him about 10+ years ago, I couldn't quite tell if he was the real deal or not. It felt a little like I'd stepped back in time or something. But he came through so many times with texting support on weekends when I was trying to watch a football game on DirecTV. Or if was something to do with the high-end car stereo he'd installed, he'd say, "bring it in around 10am when we're a little slower and we'll check it out right away." Alan has stood behind every product or service he's ever sold me. We all know how rare that kind of integrity is in our world. His shop may not look "glamorous" for those used to shopping in Apple stores, but he's not selling image. He's selling and installing the best car stereos on the market. Brands and systems that are almost always better than what Toyota, Lexus, or Mercedes Benz installed in your brand-new car. My wife's new Toyota, with all the bells and whistles that Toyota throws at their "Limited" lines, still doesn't have Apple CarPlay that connects wirelessly like the one Alan installed in my 6-year-old RAV. I do not believe there is truly anyone else (in SB county!) who could possibly know as much--much less "more"--about this world than Alan Gold. And now that he's repping Frontier Fiber for home and business internet, a TRUE Gigabit (and beyond!) service where you get better, 5-20 times faster, CHEAPER service than the Cox Monopoly game in Santa Barbara ever provided? What's there to think about? Give the man a call. Alan Gold is golden. read more

Everthing! Fast and thorough. Alan, the owner, is incredibly knowledgeable about all brands and options. Make sure to ask. He won't steer you wrong. We've been using his services for a couple decades. read more

We just had the greatest experience here! Allen, the owner, knows radios more than I know myself! It's clear that he loves what he does and live and breathes car radio technology. We came in looking for a new car stereo head unit. We told him the qualities we were looking at: wireless, apple car play, and back up camera compatible. He knew the brand, model and price off the top of his head and told us all the amazing features of the unit. He also offered other units that were missing a feature or two but still enough of what we wanted. We got a great feeling after talking with these guys. They are honorable, trust worthy and all around good guys. We look forward to going to them for all our future needs. read more

The SB Auto Stereo crew was able to install a Serius XM module in my new Tacoma truck's factory radio-it now works great and I have music after 35 years of driving my prior Toyota truck with no music or AC-thank you-this makes driving to work fun. Charlie Mitchell-electrician read more

Santa Barbara Auto Stereo & Wireless - Charlie installing a meter now has MUSIC in his new Toyota truck- the old one lasted 500,000mi but didn't have music or AC-thanks Alan - Mobile Phones Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Courteous, efficient, and reasonable. I just wish I had gone sooner to replace an inoperative speaker! Stopped by for a consult, then booked an appointment to return for the work. I opted to wait and was consulted at key moments. I am not an audiophile so opted for entry-level replacement and it sounds great to me! Always happy to support a small business, too. read more

I just had a fantastic experience with SB auto stereo and Alan Gold. The radio in my BMW X3 M40i is wanting and I needed to know what my options were to bring it up to par. The car is essentially a horrible sound system, surrounded by four wheels, a racing engine, a computer and a very complex integrated electronic system. My biggest worry was impacting the car performance simply to get more out of my sound system. Alan explained the pros and cons of each option, and showed great care and respect for the car. He is extremely knowledgeable and my only choice to get this type of work done correctly! read more

I had a very annoying noise in what I thought was the panel behind my radio in my Mazda Miata. After checking the Internet for possible causes, I decided the repair was better left to the pros. I called Santa Barbara Auto Stereo & Wireless and spoke to the owner, Alan Gold. When I brought the car in, Alan assigned a very astute technician, who found the problem in a manner of minutes! I cannot say enough good things about these folks. I highly recommend them for your auto stereo needs! read more

Alan Gold helped me get my Frontier Fiber installed. It was a difficult installation but he worked tirelessly to get things moving and it got done perfectly. He's a pro and a great person. read more

There is a reason Alan has been is business as long as he has, customer service, honesty and fair pricing. Had an audio upgrade done to a 2022 Mercedes Sprinter, told me what I needed and was spot on, huge improvement. He did not try to sell me on some crazy expensive upgrade like others. The install guys were awesome, Louis spent time with me after the install going through everything they did.Highly recommended! read more

Alan Gold understands great customer service and making a person feel valued. Went beyond to help in a situation he could have ignored or blown off. Highly recommend! read more

Amazing customer service and quality of installation!! Despite his busy schedule, Alan was able to squeeze me in and get my new sound system installed quickly and at a very fair price! Save yourself time, money, and a hassle and get your car audio work done here. Alan knows how to treat his customers read more

Really top notch information, product, and service. Everyone from Allan the owner to Mike the main guy there - are fantastic. They installed an amazing system with fantastic sound and awesome convenience and did it at a price that was equally amazing. All businesses should be run like this - I really appreciate their work. I completely agree with a previous review. So I copied the wording I love my new blue tooth system. Too bad my old one didn't break sooner. : ) read more

I got my daughter an Apple Play system in her truck as a birthday gift. Alan was very professional and helpful. He was responsive to my questions. Installation was quick and well done. They did good "user training " with the system. My daughter is extremely happy! read more

A friend suggested that I get in touch with Alan to have him run interference for us with Frontier. (If you haven't dealt with Frontier yet, you should know that they have a well-deserved reputation for a great product but abysmal customer service.) Alan worked with us to schedule the installation - he stayed on hold with me until they finally answered the phone and then did everything necessary to get us hooked up, including answering questions from Frontier that made no sense at all to me. Then, when the Frontier tech was a no-show, Alan stepped up - even though it wasn't remotely his fault - and got us back on the schedule. And most recently, when it appeared (erroneously, as it turns out) that there was a problem with the line, Alan agreed to get in touch with Frontier to have them expedite the repair. I can't remember the last time I dealt with someone who is as trustworthy, dependable and conscientious as Alan. You won't go wrong doing business with him. read more

Was extremely rude and unhelpful. Would not recommend to anyone. Not familiar with many popular brands read more

This is my 2nd time getting work done at SBAS. I don't live in Goleta any longer, but I trust these guys so much it was a no-brainer to drive up and stay overnight so I could be at their shop at 9am. I had an alarm system installed (living in West LA, my van had an attempted break in my first week). They did such a great job. Came in under the price quote, and an hour earlier than promised. As I drove off, there was a slight hitch with my blinker. I've worked with many IT professionals over a career in office/facilities management. The great ones know how to troubleshoot and are knowledgable and resourceful. This would describe Josh. He tried one solution, and then another to quickly resolve the issue. Every car has a different circuit board, and Josh outwitted this one in short order. One last comment. Last summer after the Android Auto install SBAS did for me, I was having some trouble with Google Maps. I called Alan, made arrangements to drop in when I drove through town next time. They replaced the connection wire (which was damaged most likely because of the way I abused it), and I drove off with a system that continues to work perfectly. These guys are the best! read more

I recently had two great product expertise and customer service experiences with Alan Gold at SBAS. Alan recently installed a new car stereo and back up camera in my daughters car and he was incredibly helpful in getting the right product selected for us and installed within our budget which was on the lower side. Alan fit us in to his shop schedule within a very short time frame and then spent a good deal of time with my daughter showing her all of the features and sending her off very happy with her new stereo. A few days later she had an issue with the back up camera and dropped by Alan's shop unannounced and not expecting to be handled ASAP - however, Alan was very gracious and took care of the issue within a half hour of her arrival. After the very positive car stereo installation experience we decided to come back to see if Alan could help us out with phone upgrades as Alan is also an authorized Verizon dealer. I never leave a Verizon store feeling like I know what to expect on my next bill, and usually feeling like I overpaid and/or got sold something I don't really need or fully understand. Alan explained everything so clearly to me and helped me navigate the subtleties of the different phone offers Verizon was promoting. This was the most )and only!) positive Verizon / phone upgrade experiences I have ever had. I highly recommend both aspects of Alan's business - car stereo and Verizon services - and will return happily for future business! read more

Alan and Josh went out of there way to make sure I was happy. Great professional installation and my stereo sounds amazing!!! Very happy I went there to get my new stereo done!!! read more

My daughter's father got her a phone from this store, but said it cost him about $500 for an iPhone 12, but I was able to upgrade my phone through Verizon and it only cost me $300 for the iPhone 13 Pro. When we went to pick it up, the place was run down and dirty. Alan asked my daughter to unlock her phone so he could begging transferring everything over. She did, and handed it to him. He put the phone down and went in to the back to do something. My daughter and I didn't know if the information transfer had begun or what was going on because he wasn't really communicating anything to us. When he came back out, he said the transfer could take an hour, so we could leave and come back if we wanted to. I wasn't going to leave an unlocked phone that had my payment information stored in it with some guy I hardly knew and didn't trust. I said several times that I could just transfer everything over myself. I was completely ignored. Other people came into the store and he began helping them, though we were already there. I asked him again to give me the phone and I could transfer the information over from the old phone. He refused. I told him that I had already done this several times with other phones I'd bought, and he kept saying that no, it's too complicated. When I asked him how it is too complicated and what changed, he just said again it's too complicated, and wouldn't hand over the phone. Anyone who has transferred information over from one phone to another knows how easy it is to do during the setup process, the phone literally guides you step by step. He kept messing with the phone and repeatedly ignored me asking for the phone, though I didn't want him touching it so that I could do the setup process from the beginning without having to transfer information after the setup process. He then tried selling me a case and screen protector when he finally did hand over the phone, like I was going to want to do any further business with the guy. An absolutely horrible experience. read more

My husband and I have gone to Santa Barbara Auto Stereo & Wireless for many years. It is located in our San Roque neighborhood and we like to support local businesses. Alan, the owner, combines excellent service with expert knowledge. My husband was having issues with his Samsung phone and was not able to access important apps regarding his profession. Alan was able to solve the phone issue within minutes. When we need a new phone, we will definitely be going to Alan at Santa Barbara Auto Stereo & Wireless to purchase.. read more

Alan and his team did a great job replacing my amp and installing a back up camera. They were very responsive and fast.

Allen and the rest of the team were super helpful and amazing to work with. I had a challenge I was trying to solve with a JL system in my 2019 VS30 Sprinter and they jumped in to help before I even committed to purchasing anything! Night and day different experience than the other shop in town. I HIGHLY recommend the business and will be headed back for future needs! read more

SUMMARY (TLDR): If you want honest, seasoned, genuine AV professionals that will do a perfect installation and do everything possible to make you happy, look no further. I'm now a lifelong customer STORY: I wanted to install a backup camera system on my rear-view camera and ordered a highly reviewed one from Amazon. Having just moved to Santa Barbara, I looked for the highest reviewed place on Yelp and came across Santa Barbara Auto Stereo & Wireless. Mikey was extremely friendly when I walked in and while he was a bit reluctant about the unit, agreed to charge me labor only to install it. When I came back after the unit was installed, I was really pleased with how clean the install was but extremely disappointed in the quality of the camera I purchased on Amazon. While it was no fault of their own, they empathized with my situation and Alan (The owner) was adamant to make it right. He patiently worked with me and my budget and by the next day, I had one of his suggested units perfectly installed in my vehicle. A week later and I couldn't be happier. It's exactly what I wanted and I'm so glad I've found an honest shop I can rely on for my future needs. Thanks to Alan and the team at Santa Barbara Auto Stereo & Wireless. Truly appreciate the professionalism and quality of your work! read more

In total I have spent north of 14000 dollars here. I had to go back all the time for them to get my first stereo project to work properly. Eventually they told me that the system could not go louder because the amp will shut off even though it was 2x as loud when they first gave it to me. After taking it to another shop they found out my back tweeter was blown and replaced it for 150 bucks and that was the first time my system worked reliably for a long period of time. For some reason I went back when I bought I new car. I spent 9500 dollars for something that stopped working within a few hours of play time. I kept going back because I liked their employees but the manager is a money grabber. Don't go here for large jobs as you will be ripped off. The employees are capable of quality work. Just be careful. Traveling outside of Santa Barbara will save you possibly thousands read more

Had a 10/10 excellent experience buying a phone . Al was very friendly and very knowledgeable. I would absolutely recommend to a friend.

I don't usually rate auto shops but those guys did a splendid job on my car. Charged about half of what dealer quoted for car alarm work, and went above by fixing the car seat as well. Also had them install this Bluetooth system which is pretty neat and works like the native car Bluetooth. read more

I highly recommend this company!! I came here in search of a new in-deck receiver for my boyfriend's car. The system he had was hard to use and unsafe while driving. We were on a tight budget but wanted something nice. Mike, who works there, was wonderful and understood our situation immediately. He made the whole process so easy, and they were done with installation in a few hours! Great customer service! I'll definitely be returning for any car audio needs in the future. read more

Alan Gold (owner) is an expert on all things Verizon and cell phones. He is the utmost professional and provides exceptional service. He goes above and beyond to solve problems, and resourceful at saving the customer money. He is also highly efficient with his services so no wasted time. I highly recommend Santa Barbara Auto Stereo and Wireless - you will be glad you did! read more

Well I can't vouch for their products but their integrity and customer service is top notch. I went in there today to get a quote for an after market alarm for 2014 Dodge because for some reason it didn't have a factory alarm fitted. Or so I thought and was told by the Dodge dealer and 2 other auto installation stores I'd been to. The guy at the desk, who was helping a out a mother and daughter with a new phone, upgrade etc, explained his alarm guy was dropping another customer at home and would be back shortly so I sat to wait. Listening to his explanations of phone plans insurance etc I could tell he was old school and customer service was important to him. About 10 minutes later he had break waiting for their phone to reset and asked me some details to see if he could find out some info on my vehicle and alarm options. He had me double check for a factory alarm....agreeing that on a 2014 model it really should be standard. He told me the alarm might not set immediately, so put the window down and waited a few minutes. Sure enough I had an alarm. I felt a bit stupid but thanks to his honesty and great customer service I saved myself around $400! He might not have made a sale that day but he's sure as hell made a customer for life. I know I can trust them and will go out of my way to use them for anything I might need in the future. read more

A few years back I bought a new sub for my Mazda 3 from SB Auto Stereo. They gave me a good price and Kevin actually helped me with some instructions on how to install it myself since I had already done this with previous cars. Most recently I took my car in to get a new amp hooked up to the front speakers and do some troubleshooting on my old sub. Although I did have some issues with the amp, it may have been from my initial wiring, who knows. Either way when I brought it back to SB AutoStereo they were helpful in fixing the problem. It took a few tries to get everything sorted but Kevin actually stayed late on a Saturday to make sure that it all got fixed before I left to return to San Francisco the next day. He even offered me a good deal the next time I come in for my troubles. Despite having some issues initially, I was very impressed by SB Auto Stereo's commitment to their work. My system sounds great now and I'm very happy with everything. read more

I wanted a new stereo in my car and so I stopped in. The guys here helped me right away, quickly figured out what I needed and helped me pick the best option. When I came for my installation appointment, they were right on time and did the job quickly. Afterward, they spent time with me teaching me the features of my new stereo (Bluetooth! :) and sent me home happy. The customer service was wonderful, friendly and appreciated. I know that I can stop in any time and they will help me if I have any follow up questions or concerns. I had always driven by this place and figured I would go there when I had the chance, but I also checked their Yelp reviews first, and they were so positive. I had to add another one to say that I concur! This place is The Place to go. read more

I just had my stereo installed by these guys today and I could not be happier. Great level of service and knowledge and I thought that they were really reasonable on price too. I know a lot of places have hidden upsells for wiring and extra stuff, these guys were really honest about what was really required. Highly recommended! read more

Really top notch information, product, and service. Everyone from Allan the owner to Mike the main guy there are fantastic. They talked me down from spending more than I needed, installed an amazing system with fantastic sound and awesome convenience and did it at a price that was equally amazing. All businesses should be run like this- I really appreciate their work. read more

Santa Barbara Auto Stereo has been providing my family service for over 20 years and it is 5 stars every time. The latest: over the weekend my mother lost her cell phone ~ I called Alan this morning and by noon we had a new phone set up with her main contacts installed and shipped. Alan and his team give old fashioned great service every time. I recommend his business to all of my clients that are moving here from out of town and I recommend that you call SB Auto Stereo too. read more

Came by last week because I had bought an after market stereo and had trouble installing it myself. I Initially chose this location simply because of the great reviews I saw here. After having 4 speakers replaced and the new deck put in, safe to say it was some of the greatest customer service I have ever experienced. Shoutout to Mike who helped me with all the work and saving me some money. He took the time to show me each step of the installation and made sure everything was solid. I would highly recommend anybody to get work done at this location. read more

Grade A service. I recently bought an iPhone with these guys and several days later Apple announced that there most current model phone was going to be made obsolete which meant a price drop equivalent to the phone I just bought (4s). I asked them if I could do a fair exchange within the 14 return policy date and they did it hassle free with no restocking fee. The owner is a true prince, uncommon among many of the small business hating SB bourgeois. These guys are top notch. read more

Really really nice people. I had my backup camera installed and they gave me ride home and pick me up on the afternoon since my car was in their shop. Very awesome work. Love it, definitely 5 stars! recommend to everyone who consider to get a backup camera. read more

Allen assisted me with moving my cellphone over to Verizon from ATT - the experience was like night and day with Allen definitely providing the daylight into a dark mess created by ATT. He's a pro and made the changeover painless and extraordinarily efficient. Gonna recommend him to all my friends. read more

Alan and his workers are so good! My subwoofer amp was staying on, so it was draining my battery. Alan picked out a fantastic Pioneer subwoofer for me. The installation was professional and clean. Now my car sounds like a concert! I would never go anywhere else in Santa Barbara. read more

I have an older Toyota Highlander that is still in excellent shape and that I love--other than it not having the Bluetooth/GPS/Android Auto technology that a newer system provides. I received quotes from these guys and their nearest competitor (who is actually located much more conveniently to me) for a head unit that would provide this functionality in a touch screen system. The 'other guys' quote was for a basic Pioneer system that I thought sounded quite expensive, compared to what the unit sells for online. I decided to send SB Auto Stereo & Wireless the information on the exact same setup to see what their quote would be. Alan Gold responded quickly and went out of his way to beat the other quote while providing an even better (Alpine) system after explaining the differences and advantages between the Alpine and the Pioneer. Alan really knows his stuff and took the time to explain what I needed and why, while still offering to get me the Pioneer if that was what I wanted. His crew inspected my vehicle and audio setup and then he booked me an appointment for the very next day, even providing a ride (and great conversation) back to my office after dropping my vehicle off. The installation took exactly the estimated time and the price was spot-on without any "surprises" you sometimes encounter with installers after they start getting into the project. When I picked up the car, one of his crew walked me through the system setup and answered all of my questions. The result is an awesome-sounding system that fits perfectly in my dash as if it was installed from the factory. They also provide a lifetime warranty on the installation. I believe in giving credit where due and only wish I could give them more than 5 stars for every aspect of this project. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone needing auto stereo work. Thank you so much, Alan, & all the guys that helped me with this project! read more