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Seattle Tacoma tuner service

joerand

joerand

New Member
Greetings,
I'm seeking recommendations for tuner service, alignment, and possible mods (FM analog). I live right in between Seattle and Tacoma. I know only of Rain City Audio, good reputation, but like all things in Seattle they are expensive and there's a long wait. I'd appreciate anyone's experience/insight with Puget Sound area shops, positive or negative. Thanks!
 
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joerand said:
Greetings,
I'm seeking recommendations for tuner service, alignment, and possible mods (FM analog). I live right in between Seattle and Tacoma. I know only of Rain City Audio, good reputation, but like all things in Seattle they are expensive and there's a long wait. I'd appreciate anyone's experience/insight with Puget Sound area shops, positive or negative. Thanks!
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I’d call up Turntable Treasures in Tacoma or Hawthorne Stereo in Seattle and ask them for recommendations.
 
Maybe Northwest Audio in Renten.

John may not do alignment.

Modifications are a whole other bag of fish.
There may be no one that does that.

No matter where you go, it will be spendy.
 
John (NW stereo) did a good alignment of my McIntosh MR71 few years ago and is still running great.
Recently i spoke to him regarding doing another one I have and it seems he’s still doing that so you might want to try him depending of the model you have.
He was always great with my gear some years ago, not sure these days and his price was affordable

Good luck
 
Thanks for the responses! I have several tuners (Sansui, Kenwood, Pioneer), but only one will get service. Still deciding which one will be king. I'll follow up on the suggestions above. I bought the Pioneer from Matthew at Hawthorne. Never been to Turntable Treasures in Tacoma, but want to get in there. Maybe this will be my motivation.

Just got back from looking at another Sansui tuner tonight. Decided to sleep on it before making a decision. It has a wobble to it. Feet look fine and all are even, no sign of it ever being dropped or overheated. Cosmetically and functionally very good. Not sure why the wobble. Anyone heard of this? Is the chassis warped? Gonna google it.
 
TR6man98 said:
John (NW stereo) did a good alignment of my McIntosh MR71 few years ago and is still running great.
Recently i spoke to him regarding doing another one I have and it seems he’s still doing that so you might want to try him depending of the model you have.
He was always great with my gear some years ago, not sure these days and his price was affordable

Good luck
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Thanks TR6man98.
NW Stereo? Googling I find Northwest Audio Service (Renton/Fairwood area). Mostly very good reviews and they mention John. Is this the place you mean? If so it's very close to where I live.
 
I talked to John at Northwest Audio on Friday afternoon. We had a great conversation, I definitely feel comfortable bringing my gear into him for service, plus he's about 10-miles away. He's busy in the near term but he can get to me within 2 weeks. Said he'd have a look while I wait and suggested that often there is very little to do on these units other than clean the gangs and possibly align. I'll have him assess the power supply and major caps.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and help here!
 
I’m also looking for a place to do some audio gear servicing, south of Seattle... Northwest Audio, in Renton, sounds like a place I need to stop by and have a talk. They’re about 15-20 miles from my home and 5 miles from where I work.

I attempted to see if Hawthorne Audio, in the Green Lake area, could convert my silver Yamaha CD-S700 and NP-S303 from 220v to 110v and they said it wasn’t possible... I still like Hawthorne Audio since they offer nice used classic and new gear, just wish I had the time to drive up to the north end more often.

I’ve been to Turntable Treasures a couple of times in Tacoma, mainly to find/buy vinyl LPs... The owner is a cool guy to talk to!! It might sound a little odd, but the place has that “old record shop funk smell” going on and it simply adds to its character. Plus, the Hilltop area has made a drastic change from the 80s and 90s, where it’s now basically a totally safe area now to walk and shop. And there are several other record/CD shops in walking distance of each other.

On a side note, Renton seems to be working on a semi-retro vibe feeling in the downtown area. I hope that they can save the old downtown area by bringing more businesses to occupy all the empty storefronts... And keep the homeless population in check, unlike in Seattle. It probably will not happen, but it would be great if they could turn one of the two old theaters, back into a movie theater again... Even if it mainly focused on the older classics, like Central Cinema between Capital Hill and the Central District in Seattle.
 
Hi bergun,
I like Hawthorne a lot, esp Matthew and Dominic (and Bob whose always behind the desk), and they are great as a place that has allowed me to demo gear. They are good with TTs and warranty service on the brands they sell, but not a place I think of for technical service or restoration of vintage amps, tuners, etc. I hope you have a chat with John at Northwest Audio. Seems like a good guy and, as you say, nice being so close.

Good to hear about the Tacoma area shops. I used to go to Seattle for hifi and vinyl, but it's becoming such a hassle with traffic, proprietor surcharges on food in restaurants (you know what I mean?), and (unfortunately) as you mention, the homeless encampments and aggressive panhandling. I'll give that area around TT Treasures a try. I was pleasantly surprised with the two Tacoma farmers markets I visited last summer. Good vibe there to the area. Like you say, it'd be nice if Renton can do the same and revitalize their downtown shop areas. There was a CD shop there about ten years ago, but it went out of business before I ever had a chance to stop in. I used to do well for used vinyl at Half Price Books in Southcenter, but their prices have gone through the roof in the last 4-5 years. Renton needs a music shop. Silver Platters in Bellevue is a good shop, just off my beaten track. Cheers!
 
I wonder if some of the people here realize how much more of a hassle it is to be homeless than to deal with homeless people? Maybe you should give it a try, especially in the PNW in early February...
 
As opposed to the "hassle-free" life of staying sober so I can go to work everyday to pay for my food, mortgage, taxes, healthcare, vehicle and utilities?
 
You
joerand said:
As opposed to the "hassle-free" life of staying sober so I can go to work everyday to pay for my food, mortgage, taxes, healthcare, vehicle and utilities?
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You are very lucky to have those hassles, some others are less fortunate, many through no fault of their own.
 
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