Audio Element

Wow! This place is a gem for audiophiles. Not only were Sean and Brian extremely courteous and helpful but they were absolutely professional. They guided us through the different systems and kept us on budget. There is no way we could have chosen a system like we got without their expertise. I can’t say enough about a business that treats customers with respect. I’ll be coming back to these guys for a long time. HIGHLY recommended!

Great local hifi shop. Excellent quality gear selection and very knowledgable and approachable staff!

My husband and I used to go to Brooks Berdan to have our vintage Marantz receiver and Rega turntable serviced, but we’ve recently switched to Audio Element. Sean and Brian are always friendly and accommodating without ever being phony. They don’t try to sell you on a bunch of stuff you don’t need, and you can bet that when you ask them a question you will get an honest answer. We asked about servicing a vintage radio and Brian was very polite and upfront in saying that they don’t have a great resource for vintage work, because their specialty is high-​end contemporary equipment. I’d come here to buy new equipment or to get a consultation on any audio-​related issues. Glad these guys are nearby and I don’t have to drive way out to Monrovia anymore!

Yea this place rocks from the service to the equipment. The guys were super helpful in helping get this 48 year old rocker mom into loving my first turntable. I bought a Rega turntable and I finally got it set up with my already owned Sonos speaker. Wow I am enjoying the sound from the vinyl. What a huge difference in sound. I will no longer buy Cd’s or download music again. I am having a concert in my home right now. The Cult, The Who, Dropkick Murphy’s, and more bands will be playing at our house. So glad I made this investment! Can’t wait to buy more records!

Everything a small business should be… knowledgable, personable, friendly, etc. I’m a frequent visitor for relatively small things (e.g., turntable accessories, record cleaning supplies, LPs) and I always get treated as well as the customers that purchase their jaw-​dropping high-​end audiophile devices.
Sean in particular is always very accommodating, and he recently did a SUPERB setup on a newly acquired but used turntable… and again, he gave it the same attention he’d give one of their own brand-​new devices.
TIP: Parking can occasionally be found on the street, but bring quarters… otherwise, there’s a reasonably parking deck on Union two blocks east of the store.

This is the best place for hi-​fi in Pasadena! I always stop by to pick up some inner record sleeves and have always had great customer service from them. Really patient and willing to talk about the equipment they have in stock. Looking forward to buying a cartridge and having them install it.

a very courteous, attentive and no BS young man helped me out as i was interested in getting/​listening to a variety of headphones. i had walked in after i listened to my father in law’s super high end sound system and had wondered what the poor man’s version of that would be. ie, a pair of great headphones combined with my iMac.
i was presented with at least 6 pairs of headphones, and the music came from extremely high end audio files, some above flac level, as well as through a series of different headphone amplifiers. in opther words, i was able to cross reference test $ 100 all the way to $ 1600 headphones with $ 100 to roughly $ 1500 analog and digital amps. it was such an eye — well, i should say, ear opening experience.
they allowed me to listen to out of the box, brand spanking sennheiser D800s (1500 bucks), which, together with a 1500 dollar analog amp allowed me to hear things i had hitherto not heard. instruments were coming from all sorts of geometric positions when i closed me eyes. voices became voices, «attacks» of various instruments became noticeable — incredible. i was then able to check that same high end headphone with the lowest end amp, and vice versa. what an amazing learning lesson.
at no point whatsoever did i get the impression that i should perhaps purchase something, or was i talked into «yeah man you really want to get this pair» or anything. in fact, the guy stayed like 15 minutes past the official store’s closing time.
unparalleled customer service. it goes without saying that when i am ready to make a purchase, i will make it at this store.
thank you guys.

This place is fantastic! I’m just getting back into listening to records and music like it used to be and the folks here, particularly Brian are great. They are super knowledgable and helpful. I bought my amp from them and when I set it up I discovered my old turntable wasn’t working. Brought that over and Brian fixed it right before my eyes. Love these guys — and they sell vinyl too!

I feel silly deducting a star earlier because of the price. Hobbies cost money, this is no exception. I guess what really compelled me to update my review was my recent encounter. Flashback to a long time ago, I bought this hard-​to-​find record that I really enjoy listening to. Upon inspection, the record looked like it was in really good condition! A few scuff marks but nothing my record player couldn’t handle, I thought. I was wrong, and very disappointed. The thing skipped around and sounded pretty horrible. I was worried I got a shitty press. I tried on another friends record player and it would sound the same way. Every time I heard it, a part of myself died. I took it to the Sam Ash audio department and the guys there were clueless. So I sadly held on to my precious vinyl, despite the fact that I couldn’t enjoy listening to it. Watched it gather dust.
Fast forward to recently, I brought my record in to test it on their nice equipment. They told me to clean the vinyl first before using their systems, so I purchased their vinyl cleaning solution. At first, I thought that was pricey… but it includes access to all the fancy cleaning equipment that I obviously don’t have at home. They let you leave your bottle of solution in the store, so you can just pick it up and use it when you bring your records in. You pretty much scrub the vinyl down on a turntable which vacuums it dry. Very thorough cleaning! Sean walked my clumsy ass through it, so I don’t break anything. After cleaning, I played it on their turntable, and the record I worried was defective sounded great on their high end equipment! It’s like a weight has been lifted… I was relieved.
After I’ve saved enough money, I’m definitely coming back for a consultation on a proper record playing system. Brian was super helpful in checking out my current turntable and enlightened me on why my records haven’t been playing correctly. I appreciate his honesty and not being too pushy about selling me a new system… seeing as it is quite the investment, but I think I am ready for an upgrade (once funds are available). I recommend this place to all audiophiles, they clearly know their stuff here!

Had a little trouble with my awesome earphones so I emailed them. They responded to me right away and reassured me that they were totally onboard to help me out.
I’ve had nightmare experiences with warranty returns/​exchanges in the past with other stores (just read my Best Buys review) and the exceptional customer service here is beyond refreshing. I came in and they were already expecting me. Even had a replacement set aside for me and everything.

Any vinyl aficionado, young, old, just learning, or seasoned veteran should check this place out!!! I needed assistance with installing my new cartridge onto my Pro-​Ject debut turntable, they didn’t hesitate with helping. Sean was a pro and even went past store hours to finish. In the end it turned out that I was gifted a cartridge that didn’t exactly work with my turntable (Shure 97xE). Sean pointed me in the right direction and installed a new cartridge the following week.
I’ve walked into other stores where I was looked down on for not knowing certain information. At Audio Element I was accepted with open arms and encouraged to ask whatever questions I had. I can’t express how much I recommend this play.

Superior customer service.
Was having an issue with my Pro-​Ject turntable. Brian diagnosed it as a loose wire. After rechecking all wire connections he adjusted the cartridge and hooked up to his audio equipment to test. Perfect.
I mentioned I was interested in upgrading my speakers. Brian asked my budget then came in well below it with the speakers he demo’d for me. No trying to up-​sell me, he was all about getting me the best sound with the equipment I owned and with in my budget. I’ll definitely be back.

Being new to Vinyl II have a lot to learn! Sean and Brian are very knowledgeable and eager to share their passion for quality audio.
With ease, Sean helped me set up my new Rega RP-​1 and was very thorough in explaining what/​why he was doing in terms I could easily understand.
I had also been given a vintage Telefunken turntable that I knew nothing about and struggled to find any information for. I brought it into the shop and Brian was able to help me get it up and running!
This store will definitely be my go to for all of my audio needs as well a place I will frequent to just hang out and talk music with some friendly, cool guys!

I took my turntable to another HI end audio shop to set up my turntable. It sounded good, but I knew it could sound better. So I decided to take it to Brian Berdan to see if he can get my table to sound its absolute best. Lo and behold, after a few tweaks and adjustments and his golden ear, my table now sounds amazing! More air, transparency, detail and warmth. If you want your turntable to sound its best or need any advise on audio gear Brian is amazing. He is truly an asset to the audiophile community.

I had a small party to prepare for. Our plan was to have an adult beverage, and listen to records. I traveled all over the city looking for a good quality cartridge for my technics turntable. No one had anything. I walked into this place, and I immediately knew I was in the right place. Not only did they have a selection of quality cartridge’s but they also installed it for me. They didn’t charge me to install the cartridge or to dial in the tracking weight. NOT only that but they had a nice selection of new and used vinyl. From their 1 $ bin I walked out with 4 Al DeMola albums, 2 Doobie Brothers, and a Moody Blues. All the albums were in perfect shape and one was un opened. They treated me like a king. I am definitely going back again as soon as I can afford some more albums, or to get some ear phones.

Audio Element is excellent. I highly recommend this shop. I will purchase from them again in the future.
I recently purchased a turntable from Audio Element and I was very satisfied with the entire experience. I initially planned to purchase online, but I decided to check out this shop after receiving several strong recommendations. I’m glad I did. Brian and Sean’s knowledge and expertise is first rate. The showroom has a wide range of turntables. I did many back to back listening comparisons over three separate occasions. They were patient and accommodating on all three visits. And they were helpful with answering all my questions. Further, they were genuinely enthusiastic. They clearly love what they do.
Audio Element went above and beyond. I purchased a turntable from them that I’m very happy with. In the end, the turntable I initially researched online wasn’t the one I went with (in fact it wasn’t even in the top 3 after a/​b comparisons at the Audio Element shop). Hearing the turntables with my own ears challenged some preconceived notions, and even some online reviews. That means that I was able to make a more informed and better decision that met my needs and budget. And I have Audio Element to thank for that.
They also have a great vinyl selection and I’ll purchase more vinyl from them in the future.

This is a fantastic shop. They have a well-​curated selection of high end audio equipment and vinyl records. The place itself is immaculate and the staff is very friendly. More importantly, they have a wide assortment of nice turntables and other equipment for you to demo. I was able to listen to my own vinyl on a few models before deciding to buy a new Rega. Brian worked with me to make sure I was happy with what I bought and took the time to call me back when I had questions about something with my new deck. You might find cheaper equipment online, but I can promise you that you won’t get the same level of customer service. It’s great when you can support a small local business who is dedicated to making sure their customers are happy.
If you have an old table, I suggest you let Brian take a look at it. Before I upgraded to a new rig, I took my old table in because I thought that I needed a better/​new cartridge. Brian took a look at it, made some adjustments to the alignment and told me it was good to go. I took it home and was pleasantly surprised to hear how much better the old cartridge sounded. I watched Brian work on my table and it was obvious that he knows what he’s doing. He will take the time to make sure that everything is done right.
Finally, take a look at their record collection. While it’s small, they have a great selection of used and new pressings. Plus, their prices are pretty good. For example, they had an album that was $ 5 less than what Amazon was charging.
Thanks to Brian and Sean for the great shopping experience.

I’ve visited Audio Element three times and each time I’ve had a positive experience. It’s a nice shop with a good selection of merchandise and an enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff.
Most recently, I took my turntable in for a bit of adjustment. Brian, the owner, greeted me at the door and engaged me in a pleasant conversation while he examined it. He gave me a quick estimate, took my information, and I was on my way. The next day he called to let me know it was ready, and when I arrived to pick it up he stopped what he was doing and walked me through what had been done to the ‘table. The cost was below the estimate and the work was flawless.
He took the time to explain its current condition and what maintenance might be required in the future, which I appreciated. He also advised me on the benefits of potential upgrades, without trying to upsell me on additional merchandise. That, to me, is great customer service.
This shop is a great addition to Pasadena’s local business community. I’m glad they’re here and will be visiting regularly.

I’ve been to many high-​end record shops throughout Los Angeles. This is by far the best of all of them. There is no high-​fidelity /​vinyl shop that has someone with the knowledge and passion that Brian Berdan has. (Brian is Brooks Berdan’s son, a store that still exist in Monrovia that get’s it’s business based on the reputation of his father while he was running it). If Brian lived four hours away from me I would feel lucky that someone of his level of expertise lives a drivable difference. Brian isn’t someone who will try to sell you gear for the sake of the sale. He is passionate about music and wants to give the customer the absolute best equipment and set-​up possible to suit their musical needs. I recently had my table set up sat at another high-​audio shop and was happy. I needed a minor tweak and Brian spent hours setting up my turntable, also giving me a very formative education. I felt like I received a $ 5000 upgrade based on his adjustments. Whether you are looking to get the best sound from headphones, speakers, turntables, or tube amps, etc within your budget this is the place to go. Anyone looking into getting better audio equip (from entry level to very high end), or or set-​ups, there is no one else who compares. The shop is beautiful as well. For all Audiophiles in LA we are very fortunate to have someone of the expertise of Brian Berdan.

Absolutely amazing store! They carry many of my favorite brands; DCS, Sonus Faber, VTL, Grado, Audioquest, Cardas and Transparent cables, along with many other high end manufacturers. The vibe in here is comfortable and adds to a very pleasant purchasing experience. I was also happily surprised they sell some Vinyl here! This has become my top recommendation for all my Audiophile friends.