I met Nick many years ago when I needed an honest factory tech for my Rega P5 turntable. It was introducing an electrical hum into the phono stage and the Rega rep who originally sold it to me wanted to sell me new tubes for my preamp instead of identifying the problem with the turntable. I walked out and never went back. Since then I've relied on Nick to help me put together a sound system that I am now *very* happy with. No BS, just solid advice, long experience, an impressive depth of knowledge and a genuine desire to get you the best sound you've ever had. Nick will tell you the truth. He can repair and upgrade as well. He primarily represents Audio Note UK (which now comprises the bulk of my system) but he specializes in getting the best sound, new or pre owned, for you within your means. This is genuinely important to him. Nick and his wife Lee are good people. I trust them. read more

They are truly amazing people. I had some issues setting up my turntable and speaker system. Even though I didn't purchase the audio system directly from them, they were happy to provide consultations over the phone and reviewed all the photos and steps I sent. They are incredibly knowledgeable and walked me through instructions I might have missed. They even followed up with a call afterward. I would highly recommend them. read more

Just gave these folks a call and the person who answered the phone was SO helpful! I had some questions about fixing turntables and some other super old equipment and he gave me honest and helpful answers about whether it's worth restoring them. The person was very knowledgeable about quality audio equipment and even though they didn't specialize in fixing my type of turntables, they referred me to a couple other places that might be able to help. I'm sure that if they were fixing anything of mine, I'd be in good hands. Definitely recommend! read more

Truly amazing people. Very nice and helpful and couldn't recommend them more! I would give them 6 stars if I could!

In my humble opinion, Nick is highly knowledgeable and passionate about audio. He changed my entire perspective on sound quality in one phone call. I was left with the realization that I basically knew nothing about audio beforehand, but also with the confidence that I now have a contact in the industry who is willing to guide me in the right direction towards achieving my home audio goals and keep me from wasting thousands of dollars on poor investments in the process. I completely understand why the business is called "True Sound." Their commitment to sound is motivated from beyond mere profit-seeking. For them, it's philosophical. read more

Very friendly staff willing to help with audio equipment issues. I brought my skipping turntable in and they looked at it and helped me figure out how to fix it. read more

I called just to see if my "vintage" CD and cassette player from Oct 2000 could be repaired. I provided the make and model of the player and described the problem: changing speed or getting stuck at certain parts of songs. The gentleman on the phone shared his expertise generously. He looked it up on the spot and let me know that parts are not available for this model, meaning that it cannot be repaired, which is good to know. He even offered a tip to try before I offer it to the electronic recyclers (blasting the CD drawer with compressed air). Just from this one phone interaction, I can tell he is a genuine and generous person. I'm happy to recommend him to others. read more

Nick is a craftsman in his trade. Yes, he's busy. Yes, there's a backlog on repairs. Yes, it takes longer for the repair to be carried out. These delays are because he meticulously cares and services each piece of equipment he works on. Like any "craftsman" he cares about the end product. This type of service is not bound to quick turn-arounds and shortcuts. Nick salvaged a vintage Pioneer 70's era Pioneer receiver for me. When I picked it up, it was operating better then before the damage that needed to be repaired. He also provided valuable advice on how to operate the equipment so it has a longer lifespan. Also note. Nick is one of a few individuals authorized to work on Accuphase equipment in the U.S. That says a lot in my book... read more

Recently bought another turntable that needed serious work with a LONG list of repairs my JVC QL-F4 was in rough shape after decades of use, the shop received me warmly and took time to walk me through set up and repairs. I felt totally comfortable leaving my turntable in their hands to bring it back to life. Many replacement parts were in stock and there was no added wait there. They had experience repairing one the most troubling issue. I thought for sure my turntable was a goner considering it was made in the late 70's. The team got this device turned around in little over a week. I have never experienced this turntable working so well - it's insane. The price was totally reasonable for the amount of fixes. Music heads don't hesitate to call this store to save your gear. read more

True Sound - Electronics Near Me - Campbell, California

See all

I inherited an 80's turntable from my father that needed repair. I called Nick who cautioned me that depending on what was wrong with it that repair of this particular model could be more costly than it was worth. Because of its sentimental value I asked if he'd look at it and let me know what he thought it'd cost. After diagnosing the issue it he was able to make the fix at a very reasonable price. I'm very happy to have a working turntable and am grateful to Nick for his conscientiousness and technical expertise. I highly recommend True Sound for your audio repair needs. read more

Nick G. Is a great dude. I stop by for new turntable adjustments he walked me through the components and adjustments he has awesome analog equipment. (Reel to Reel master tape, cassettes, etc.) he explained that the cassettes and eight track tapes that I own that they don't degrade. He played some cassettes that sound like compact disc's. He has a wealth of knowledge I let him know that I went back to basics, vinyl records and cassettes. Thanks Nick, your awesome! Please support this business. read more

True Sound - Turntables - Electronics Near Me - Campbell, California

Exceptionally services offered by Nick and Lee, who have been professional and courteous all the way along our AUDIO NOTE speakers purchase process: from home visit to recommend room modifications, speakers testing, breaking in, home installation and test run on my system! Highly recommended read more

True Sound - Electronics Near Me - Campbell, California

I highly recommend True Sound. Nick and Li were pleasant to talk to. They are very professional and they truly believe in the value of sharing music to the world. I have a Sony boom box model CFO-F10 and it was making this loud humming sound when I try to play my cassette tape, making it hard to hear the lyrics. Many of my cassette tapes are from Thailand and I enjoy listening to them very much. Many of the songs can't be found digitally. After looking through yelp through many electronic repairs reviews, I came across True Sound that specialized in audio. I was so happy, because it's so rare to find a store that fix audio specific devices. It turned out, the switch of the play button and the record button didn't switch properly and Nick was able to help fix it. I'm so grateful I found True Sound and now I can truly listen to all my songs again! Thank you so much Nick and Li!! read more

Very nice, honest and helpful people. Looking forward to find another reason to call them again

True Sound has always provided exceptional service, knowledgeable product information, and high quality repairs. Making it all such a personable experience through the process. The cassette decks Nick has repaired for me still sound great. He has always been there to provide sound advice for my audio needs. Highly recommended! Wish I could give 10 stars! read more

My record player stopped working and I went in to True Sound for a repair. I received excellent service from Nick. He was professional, kind, and knowledgeable. I highly recommend True Sound if you have a broken music system. My record plais functional and running smoothly. read more

Unprofessional out of character by this business, agree to purchase his MuRata Supertweeter back out the last minute. Never dealt with such a disrespectful & unprofessional business like this. My first transaction with will be my last, What a disappointment! read more

Real prompt service and great communication. Had my amp back in 3 weeks.Owner gave me follow up calls Friday night and Saturday! Prices are reasonable and service is outstanding. They go the extra mile. read more

I have an old Yamaha A700 amplifier that I hooked up in a new house I just recently moved to, and the right channel of one of the speaker connections was not working. Couldn't find anyone in Redding, CA that could work on it, so I found True Sound in San Jose, CA and called. Nick actually knew the product and rather than just have me bring it down there so he could make some money on the repair, he talked me through some additional steps to check that I hadn't done. Turned out to be the spade connections weren't making good enough contact since the connections were intended to be bare wire. Now that is excellent customer service! Thank you very much. If you have old audio equipment worth keeping but it isn't working, take it to Nick at True Sound. read more

I feel so lucky to have found this place. I feel lucky to live nearby. I decided a few years ago to begin dabbling in the world of hi-fi. Nothing major, no keeping up with the Joneses rubbish. But, I had bought a classic 70s Marantz hi-fi amp, a Rega turntable, that sort of thing. Out of nostalgia and an unexplainable itch to buy one, I bought a higher-end (for the era) Nakamichi cassette deck at Goodwill for under $28.00. I'd been seeing these types of scores at Goodwill on YouTube for a few years and on my 2nd attempt, it proved to be fruitful. Well, sort of. I got the deck home, plugged it in, and the reels didn't spin. When I went to take it back, there were no others for me to exchange it with. The lady at the counter explained "No refunds, but I'll give you credit towards any secondhand junk in the store." I took it home and decided I wanted to have it fixed. I surveyed the community on the Steve Hoffman Audiophile forums and many applauded the cassette decks, others told me they made higher-end ones, etc. And one good person wrote "You better go see Nick at True Sound in Campbell. This Japanese deck will be no problem for Nick." I brought it in, Nick had a look while I waited. He explained that he knew what needed to be replaced and repaired, and that he had to order parts from a particular source, etc. He gave me a fair quote and told me he'd call me when finished. One thing I particularly enjoyed was, his teammate asked me "Who's your favorite artist?" and she played a Rykodisc version of David Bowie's Changesbowie. Nice to hear it on great equipment while I waited. Then COVID hit. He still repaired the deck. Called when it was ready. I went to pick it up. We all wore our masks. He even cleaned some valuable records of mine that I had bought used. Outstanding, professional service. World class customer service. Great repair job and now I'm sheltering-in-place listening to cassettes perhaps more often than any other human in 2020. If you live anywhere near the San Jose area, especially if you have a Rega that needs repair, you won't be able to top this place. read more

I have stumbled across two businesses with nearly spotless reviews and did not believe either. I have had to do a 180 on both in belief and True Sound is #2. Before the astounding passion and knowledge they have, also just delightful interesting people. Nick and Lee are just incredible from the word go. Interesting that a technician who worked on a similar tube amp back East had identical questions, Nick asked them before even seeing the amp. I thought I knew little to nothing when I walked in, now I realize it is less than that! What knowledge they have, incredible. So glad I am dumping the sub woofer, was worth the first inquiry just for that. Cannot wait to get the amp back, thank you Nick & Lee. read more

Nick and True Sound are a Bay Area gem. He more than restored our vintage 1987 Nakamichi CA-7A preamp to working condition, he gave it a thorough going over, noting bad solder joints, hairline cracks, intermittent connections, and dried-out capacitors, which probably would have caused their own problems in time if not attended to now. For our Nakamichi, Nick proposed to look at it in depth to see if it could be repaired and to charge us only if it was possible, a very fair deal. Moreover, while Nick takes a first look at your broken equipment, you may be able to get a taste of your (and their) favorite discs as realized on their phenomenal state of the art audio system. Now, our preamp is back home and working beautifully and, meanwhile, meeting Nick and his parter was an audiophile's dream. read more

I have been a customer of True Sound for over 20 years and their service has always been exemplary. Whether it's buying equipment or having something repaired I've always received exceptional service. Don't hesitate to ask for help on something even if might seem out of their scope or area of expertise. Their website has not been updated in a while and they work on and sell more brands than are listed there. On one occasion, I called for a recommendation on a tuner and gave him my budget. Two hours later, he told me to come by and sold me a used tuner at 25% of my budget that was perfectly suited to my needs. True Sound is a real gem and I hope to be their customer for another 20 years. read more

If you find yourself needing your Rega Apollo CD player or any other HiFi or electronic component requiring repair or adjustment, give Nick a call... you will be glad you did. Nick's correspondence, return e-mails and calls and his equipment promises and quote all were answered with professionalism, courtesy and first class customer service. I can wholeheartedly recommend Nick Gowan as he took care of my Rega Apollo perfectly! read more

These fine folks repaired my Linn Classik CD player with integrated amp. Was not reading the index on many discs, and Nick was able to locate a replacement mechanical assembly and get everything working normally again. Music sounds great Price very fair and nice dialogue with the the owner here. read more

Nick is an electronics artist and genius! He took a hacked up Jolida 102B integrated amp that I bought used and restored it to new -- without a schematic -- in just a few weeks and I couldn't be happier. Don't know how many hours he put into fooling with it but he only charged me $250 for the rewiring, overhauling of the mode switch and a used (but still good and matched) set of four EL-34 tubes (that run $60/pair new). If it can be fixed, Nick can do it and he will not gouge you in the process. I can't recommend him more highly! read more

They are the best in the industry ! Because of Nick I continue to enjoy vacuum tubes and analogue equipments which sounds best at any cost. read more

See all

Nick and Lee are wonderfully polite, courteous and have a wealth of knowledge. I bought in my 6 disc CD player to get fixed, the eject button was giving an error message. The actual player was not fixable as the parts for these are not easy to find. I needed the 5 CD's in there pulled out. Nick worked to get all the CD's out, a couple were damaged by the CD player and they polished the scratches out, I didn't even know there was a thing known as a polishing machine that did that. I will absolutely be bringing anything that needs fixing in the future back to this business and recommending them to anyone who needs such a service. It is a true pleasure to find such wonderfully honest people. read more

I stumbled upon a Luxman receiver that the guy sold me dirt cheap because he said it didn't work. It didn't. I plugged it in - a rapid clicking sound and no power. I researched repair shops and came across Nick and Lee at True Sound. I have never had an experience like that. They both welcomed me as if I were an old friend and truly cared about my issues with my Luxman. While Lee and I chatted in their listening room (a room I'd like my ashes spread in when I die ) Nick quietly took my receiver back to his bench. 15 minutes later, he came back out and said "you won't like what I have to tell you. The Luxman works. Not a thing wrong with it." My jaw dropped. He plunged it in. It WORKS! Have no idea what happened. I then asked him what I owed him for his time and he wouldn't take a dime. I took it home and I'm listening to it right now. It sound great!!! This is just a pair of people who have found their passion. And they share it with you freely. I have to go back. It may be time for a new turn table... read more

Nate gave me a compelling argument as to why I should buy a Rega Planar P3 versus a P1. After many confirmations on the web I placed an order after Nick spent time demonstrating the P3. Nick took the time to QA and set up the new turntable and gave me a number of key pointers on use and where to get vinyl to play on it. Nick and his assistant Lee truly care about the customer experience which was to say the least impeccable. Keep up the good work!!! read more

They really know their stuff, I brought in a Dual 1219 I bought online and they took a look at it and told me that it was unfixable. Fortunately, I was able to take it back and they gave me a great rec on a new turntable that I love! These guys are awesome!! read more

Wow. This place is fantastic. I had a bass alignment filter for some B & W 800 series speakers that failed. The filer box was out of production and even eBay did not have one for sale. Nick said that he could fix it (or wouldn't charge me.) It was a more subtitle repair than anticipated, but today I got the filter back in good order. He found three dead capacitors and glued back together the RCA connectors. Working perfectly now. He worked hard on this one but kept to his original estimate. Wow again. read more

excellent service, highly professional. I would highly recommend true sound, which is run by an english gentleman.

I was having problems with my rega apollo r cd player and contacted the manufacturer's distributor in the USA, Sound Organization about having it repaired. I was told to get in touch with the folks at True Sound for help. I am glad I did. My apollo r was having problems reading cds. I sent my cd player for evaluation. Nick Gowan at True Sound helped me during all the process. Nick is such a nice guy and super easy to deal with. You can tell he is passionate about audio, really knows his stuff and loves what he does. I got my cd player back a couple of days ago and it is working flawlessly. I got nothing but praises about True Sound and the service provided by Nick. This is what customer service should be like. Top class! read more

Nick Gowan, proprietor of True Sound, is a skilled and conscientious audio consultant, and true gentleman. I brought him a troublesome tube preamp that he restored to its best and safest performance for less than half the cost he initially quoted. But that was not the end of his sterling service: while visiting San Francisco to see another client, he stopped by to follow up on the repair, and gave my system a thorough checkup. Highly recommended! read more

I can't say enough good things about Nick Gowan and his assistant Lee. After growing weary of others in this industry who care only about pushing their brands, Nick's delight is enabling others to discover and enjoy the gift of music. I deeply trust Nick. As a man of integrity, unrivaled technical skills and an amazing ear, he advised me to patiently WAIT before auditioning ANYTHING until my current system was fully optimized (by his in-home visits) so that I would know exactly what components to invest in. Nick doesn't want his clients to merely spend a lot but to be educated so that they'd wisely invest in the right things. Thank you Nick and Lee! read more

Because of all the wonderful reviews I felt comfortable visiting mr Gowan's shop several months ago. I had a part from an old turntable that I was hoping for repair or a replacement. Nick seemed willing to help me so I left the part with him. After two months of no response I revisited Nick and he initially said he could not find my part in his busy workshop. As our conversation proceeded he became more remote and in his conclusion said outlandishly that he did not remember me or my part. As I departed I suggested he give me and my electronic part more consideration over the next seven days. Two weeks later I called and talked to his "assistant" an Asian woman whose name I have forgotten but who was present the day I initially came to the shop. In fact she was showing me her current song list of music she played in the shop. She told me she normally photographs and ledgers all incoming equiptment and did not have my part. I subsequently visited the Campbell Police Department who suggested that since I had no receipt there was no theft provable. So much for trust and 5 star Yelp reviews read more

Six months ago, our 45-year-old Quad amp died. We had tried three different amplifiers and nothing sounded as good as the old Quad. At the advice of the person from whom we originally purchased our equipment way back in the 1970s, we contacted Nick and Lee at True Sound. After Nick listened to what equipment we had and what music we enjoyed with it, he recommended an Audio Note Cobra, a tube amp/pre-amp combination, to replace the Quad amp and our pre-amp. He loaned us the Cobra. After listening to the new piece for about a day on our Quad ESL-57 speakers, we were transfixed. After a week, we bought it. The combination of what we already had and the new Audio Note Cobra with its onboard DAC for our CD player...it's hard to find the words how wonderful it is. We have heard many different systems over the years, but right now this is by far the best. Stunning! Nick and Lee's service before and after this sale has been exemplary. There are so few people who run a customer-oriented business like this and do it well. If you care about music, and care about the home stereo experience, True Sound is not only highly recommended, but honestly, the ONLY business where we would purchase any future equipment. read more

I was looking for a place that would take a look at my Garrard record player that I thought the balance was off since the sound was not crisp and the needle would hop. I called a few places and out of all of them True Sound was the only place that asked me to bring in the player to see what was wrong before deciding if work should be done or if I would be better off looking into other options, something I appreciated. Upon bringing the record player in the staff were very knowledgeable and friendly. They informed me that my needle was bad, and looked up a replacement needle free of charge. I was very happy with my visit and plan on going to True Sound from now on for any of my tune ups or needs regarding my turn table. read more

I got a nice email from the owners of TS regarding the series of unfortunate events that befell them in February, resulting in my cartridge mounting job getting back-burnered, and not being able to notify me at the time regarding that. Bumping to a neutral 3 stars. read more