Upscale Audio

In 2021 I “stumbled “ upon Upscale Audio while looking for a replacement for my Sony HAP Z music streamer. The Auralic Altair G2.1 was my first purchase - but not the last. In numerous long phone calls Upscale’s Sean Smollen has since guided me on my journey to assemble my dream system. It now includes Primaluna EVO 400 power amp, EVO 400 Pre Amp and EVO 100 DAC. (As I fell in love with the beautiful “Tube” sound the Altair had to be replaced with Auralic’s Aries G2.1 to connect to the EVO 100 DAC). All components are protected by Audioquest Niagara 1200. Sean also guided me through cable selections and shared recommendations for speaker placement. I will certainly turn to Sean when it comes to replacing my 22 year old B&W 804s.

I have been really impressed with the customer service at Upscale Audio. It is truly second to none! I have purchased several items within the last year. An inter-grated amp (Vincent), phono stage ( Sutherland KC Vibe MK II, Ortofon 2m Black cartridge, and the Polk R700s. My home audio is really sounding nice and providing me much joy and happiness. I know that investing this kind of money can be stressful wondering who’s interest the sales person has in mind? However, with Upscale Audio I can say that it will be you’re interest they have in mind. They make it purely stress free. You are not talking to a sales person you’re talking to a friend. What really stands out and what I consider to be priceless is the level of service you get when you buy from Upscale Audio. I’ve been in sales myself 30 plus years. It’s the service that keeps people coming back! They are always willing to take the time to answer you’re questions when you call no matter who you talk too. I would like to give a special thanks to Joel and Bill. They both went above and beyond to make sure to provide me the information I requested to make my decisions on my equipment. Joel with my Vincent SV 737 and Polk R 700s Bill with my KC Vibe Mk II and the pairing with the Ortofon 2M Black Several phone calls were made to both before I made the decision and at no time did I feel rushed or pressured to make a purchase. After the sales were done they didn’t forget about me both Joel and Bill called back later to make sure I was 100% happy. Bill even recommended a slight VTA adjustment on my tone arm to really dial in the cartridge. They really aren’t on commission Joel transferred me to Bill for my analog needs and Bill was Just as awesome as Joel. I’m sure that no matter who you deal with at Upscale this is the service you’ll get. I am now aUpscale Audio customer for life. Thank you Upscale Audio! And thanks again Joel and Bill. Joel I’m loving my Upscale t-shirt wear it all the time!🤠

First time there. Staff was great. Very accommodating and definitely love audio. My sales associate owns Apogee like I do. Awesome that you can talk with someone who knows audio and share stories and tips. There is absolutely no reason to go to Best Buy or any big box retailer for stereo audio. Upscale Audio is helping me put together an awesome entry budget audio system for my office. Yes! They do carry I feel the best budget speakers offering in So Cal. Look forward to my demo of speakers! Please make sure you set an appt to audition speakers. Oh. As they state !No high pressure selling!!! Love that!

I’d like to share details of another recent happy experience with Upscale Audio. In the last two months I’ve bought Manley Labs Chinook Special Edition MKII phono stage, Hana ML MC phono cartridge and Pangea Audio Vulcan Turntable stand with vinyl records storage for my secondary system upstairs to complement KEF LS60 active speakers with two KFC62 subs in stereo configuration and NOS Yamaha PF-800 turntable. In my primary system I have SME 20/3 turntable with Hana Red MC cartridge (another happy purchase from Upscale Audio), Manley Labs Steelhead RC phono stage, McIntosh amplification and DAC, and Room correction unit with Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolution speakers and two JL Audio Fathom f112v2 subwoofers in stereo configuration. I have collection of about 5000 LPs with mostly jazz, classical and progressive rock music. Building my upstairs system, I have relied on the advice of Upscale Audio consultant Richard O'Neill. Richard has paid attention to my needs, asked multiple questions regarding my expectations, listening preferences and the equipment I already had. Long story short: I just LOVE the combination of Manley Labs Chinook Special Edition MKII and Hana ML MC phono cartridge! The cartridge setup has not been complicated, I just readjusted it after 100 HRs and found that load of 125 Om with end of the arm set just a bit higher from cartridge body being parallel to the LP brought everything in the focus. What is most important – I don’t feel like my second setup is lacking in comparison to the much more expensive primary system. Yes, the music is not coming from totally black background (Yamaha vs SME tables), but the overall sonic signature Chinook + Hana ML vs Manley Steelhead + Hana Red is similar. Hana ML is an amazing cartridge for the money – detailed, fast, good tracker with great channels separation. Chinook Special Edition MKII phono stage is an outstanding phono stage for the money, closely resembling the 3 times more expensive Manley Steelhead. MKII option +65Db is especially useful for low output MC cartridges – and it’s deadly quiet! No typical tube sound here – details, dynamics, low noise and just a little bit of nice warm are all there. With Hana ML and Chinook, the soundstage is wide and three dimensional, with the instruments positions firmly defineded in the space. Amazing combination! What distinguishes Upscale Audio from other dealers I happen to work with is their consultant’s attention to customer’s needs, I had never experienced any attempts to upsell - just a list of the possible options in my price range. Richard, thank you for your time listening to my needs and the great post sale follow-up to make sure I’m satisfied with the purchase!

Another great buying experience from Upscale! Associate Richard was able to recommend the "biggest bang for the buck" upgrade in my system to take maximum advantage of my current components and realize my very specific objectives...and at a good price. I'm very pleased with the Musical Fidelity M5si amp, MoFi phono stage/headphone amp, and incredible Meze 109 Pro headphones. Richard once again provided expert advice--including a custom wiring diagram he created--to walk me through integration of the new equipment seamlessly into my system. I would not have been able to find the right, high-performance products to meet my specific needs and system configuration without his expert guidance. Shipping was timely, and the equipment was extremely securely packaged. Thanks, Richard and all--I'm already scheming my next upgrade from Upscale!

I recently bought a pair of Rel S 812 subwoofers to complete my system. I really appreciate Richard for taking the time and explaining my recent purchase. The S 812 will When he did not know an answer to one of my questions, he indicated that he did not know, and we contacted Rel technical support. This show that he was honest and has integrity. It was great doing business with you, and I hope will do more business in the future.

I want to give a HUGE shout-out to Sean for his amazing, extra-mile customer service. Upscale Audio has a stellar reputation for top level customer service, but Sean takes it to an even higher level. I was having problems with a streamer I recently purchased. I worked with the manufacturer via email, but their language skills didn’t seem that great, and I never got the feeling they ever actually understood the problem. The suggestions they offered were things I’d already tried – and had told them about. I called Sean because I knew he had owned the same streamer. He made it his personal mission to solve my problem. He worked with the manufacturer and even tried to find a solution on his own. He contacted me each day for three days with updates and ideas. Thanks to Sean and his dedicated commitment to addressing my needs, we finally got the problem fixed. This level of service is rare, and very much appreciated. Sean and Upscale are the BEST!