Arden Audio

Let me start by saying that these guys WILL work with you if there’s any issues with products purchased and/​or installations done by them or if you just so happen to have your own car audio stuff they will also work with you to give you the best possible deal for installation.
As for me, well I have puschased stereo decks, speaker components, speaker spacers, eq’s, wiring kits, subwoofers, boxes you name it and I’ve always been treated right.
Recently I brought my car to get all the windows tinted and the price was right, comparing different shops of course. From my understanding there’s only one guy that does the tinting and lucky for me there was no one ahead of me and he got started on my car right away.
Ok on to the good part, I noticed that the guy was having trouble with the drivers side window and he was getting a lil bit frustrated as he tares up the tint and starts a new one, he then tares it up again and starts yet a new one. Ok he’s now doing the same window 3 times now hmmmmmm taking a bit longer than expected but he gets that window done and moves to the next one.
Ok fast forward, all windows done and of course there’s going to be some air bubbles that will barely be noticeable and eventually go away in a couple days (hopefully) and it’ll look great right!!! Hmmmmm
The bubbles DON’T go away and I notice some lint between the ting and the glass AND some bubbles that didn’t go away in the rear doors and the rear windshield. No bueno guys, so I make it back to the shop to get it fixed and due to my time I tell them to just redo the rear windshield and that I’ll come back and get the rear doors re done another time. Good thing it’s LIFETIME GUARANTEED right! RIGHT…
Rear shield done and will go back to get the rest done another time, another good thing is that they’re just a couple blocks from me and can easily drop off the car and come back for it later.
Their customer service has always been great with me and also their pricing on the stuff I get from them. I cannnot comment on their installations because I do that myself. But their servise gets 5 stars from me but the issue I have is the tinting and having to get it all re done is just a waste of MY time but will get it done.
Guys you need to get this issue fixed or get an additional tint installer that’ll get the job done better. Maybe look into laser cut tint as that will also save you and the customer a lot of time.
3 stars from me guys, I know you can do better.

This is one of those places you should listen to the reviews and stay away from. Needed an amp and wires installed on my car and the guy was haggling prices back n forth but finally got a decent price for it. He told me where to bring the car and it’ll take max 3 hours. No joke 8.5 hours later it was done. I drove by the install garage 4 hours after I left my car to get an update and the 2 guys were hanging out with people driving by instead of working on the car. I’ll never go back to this place nor would I recommend it to anyone

Looked online for a flip down monitor which they had listed for 140 so called to see if they had it and was told we have afew in stock I drove 30 Mins and when I showed up and I asked to see if they could turn it on and test it, they tired to turn it on the screen was black so they tested another and the same problem I’m glad I asked to check before I bought it and wasted my money like my time driveing … I think if the owner spent more time checking his equipment then his Cel phone he might have better reviews

I came in with a friend to get get some kickers installed. I brought my own Subs and amp. All I needed was the wiring. So big guy with a thick eastern accent, don’t know if he was mulsim, pakistan, or Indian but something close to that. He said he would install it for me and do it right. He showed me his scion TC, and it was dirty bass too much rattle and overpowered the Mids and Highs. But he said he liked it like that, so i gave him a shot. After charging over 300 for wiring and installing my sub and amp, it sounded like crap. So I went home and inspected all the wiring.
My woofers were already pre-​wired to 2Ohms, since they came out of my previous car, and I had a new Rockford 500.1D amp, which is two ohm stable… I felt my amp, and it was burning hot. So I turned off my music and took out the wiring of the subs. I checked the wiring on the subs and they wired it down to 1Ohm, which made my amp too hot and was overloading it. The wiring was all over the place so much extra that it looked like spaghetti. They also turned they gains up all the way, and and the frequency was so high, I could hear vocals in the subs.
So after inspecting all that, I took a DIMM, and test my subs, and they blew one of my kickers. So I went back. I told them all the issues, and said that none of that work was theirs. When I clearly saw that accented guy in the background working on something. After confronting them, they still refused to do me any service.
So overall, this place is crap. NEVER GO THERE. Overpriced, horrible work, and will blow your stuff to make money by selling you third party half used stuff. I hope nobody else falls for the scam that they are pulling. Save your money and your audio system.
I will be looking closer to home now, in the south sac/​elk grove area. Hopefully they have some store with STANDARDS. Something this place doesn’t have.

I’m replacing speakers in a 2014 Harley Ultra Classic. Harley really really screwed us with regards to what will and won’t fit in these.
I initially bought a pair of Infinity Kappa 62.11i — thought they’d fit. But I didn’t have the bike with me. Got home to test, and the Kappas were too big. The huge magnet was hitting a switch on the inside of the rear tourpack pod. Can’t really go with spacers here since that’d take away one precious inch of «butt space». So… back to the shop. The exchange was smooth. Bear in mind that I did not take the speakers out of the package. I simply dropped them in the hole still in the plastic wrap. So really, just like I bought them.
The guy there suggested a couple others. I really wanted to go with Infinity, so we tried the Reference. No luck.
He recommended the Alpine R series. At the shop, we took out the stock speaker and tested, and they dropped right in. The Neodymium magnet helps. :-)
In the end, the experience was very good. Both gentlemen I worked with — Sunday and Monday — were very nice, polite, and easy to work with.
Their price for the Kappas was a couple bucks less than online, and the Alpines were about $ 5 more than online. I FAR FAR prefer dealing locally, even if it costs a couple extra bucks.
But here’s the thing… there has to be the service as well. And these guys have that. Prices about the same as online, and great to work with.

At first I was skeptical of any place in the Arden area that had to do with car audio because of the horror stories I’ve heard. I looked this place up on Unilocal first and decided to go check it out a day before I needed anything because it’s right down the street from my job. Dia and the crew were very helpful and provided more than enough information about what I wanted to get done. They also help me out right then and there with replacing my alarm siren. One shop wanted to charge me $ 65 for the siren itself but I walked out of there with the siren and installation for $ 35.
The very next day I brought my truck up there to get the upgrades I had talked to them the previous day about. They gave me an estimated time of 3 to 3 and a half hours to get the work done and they finished in just a little over two.
You can definitely tell that these guys know what they’re doing and that they enjoy what they do. Nobody in this shop is standoffish and everyone is very helpful.
If you’re looking for good quality work then check them out. All of their products are backed by a warranty so don’t get mislead by other reviewers claiming they sale return products.

Dia at arden audio was very helpful and gave me a good deal on the amp i got, other store wanted $ 300 i picked it up here for $ 200

Dont buy from here cause you can kiss your factory warranty goodbye… alpine’s policy is 1 year in store replacement-​they want to charge $ 40 shipping to send defective sub back… alpine does not repair or have speakers returned to them, the factory Rep just issues credit…
These guys are not a dealer of any kind so they third party ship it to a factory dealer in different state… bullshit!!! Better off buying from amazon at least their warranty & customer service are worth something…
Im not paying $ 40 asshole for factory defect chit. i’ll never buy another thing at this dump-​& guess what ass you will loose alot more than that $ 40…and each person reads this & doesn’t buy your low quality merchandise-(cause now both subs glue at the surround & dust cover are coming apart) the belter off they’ll be…

My husband had a new stereo and speakers put in my car. When he got home the door speaker FELL OFF. They had broken a nut and just set it in apparently hoping the speaker wires would hold it in and that we wouldn’t notice. So not only was it not attached correctly there was no sound coming out of it. They were absolutely terrible to deal with. Ended up having the whole system redone by a more reputable company. Would not recommend.

I’ve been a customer of Arden Audio for over five years now. Not sure who Brett worked with while he was there, but I’ve always had a positive experience. No pressure EVER. Dee has always taken the time to answer all of my questions; make sure I got everything necessary without trying to stack on a bunch of bloatware. And I’m talking about multiple-​amplifier systems, different configurations, and being driven by sound quality not «price». I’m not rich, but I can’t afford to buy cheap crap over and over — if that makes any sense. A few times, he actually talked me out of spending several hundred extra dollars because it was way overkill for the application lol. For that matter, all of my friends whom I’ve sent to see Dee have nothing but good things to say. Perhaps the haters here on Unilocal are these broke jokers trying to get a «deal» on an already fair price. I see them every time I’m in there! Anybody who haggles over $ 10 here and there should just stick to the stock junk stereo.
Bottom line regarding pricing: Prices are very close to what you’ll see online, but hey, the only way they can keep prices low is by dealing in volume and maintaining low overhead costs (hence the older modest «showroom»). I’m all about buying stuff online, but some things are nice to see first and have a brick-​mortar store with a human being to talk to and deal with if anything goes wrong. Regarding installation labor costs: remember, there are many variables when installing a car stereo. Is the vehicle stock? Any OEM equipment /​wires /​mounting hardware /​etc.? Previous custom work with unknown connections etc? Factory screws /​fasteners etc? Aftermarket bodywork or interior work? Seriously… as your stereo system needs change, so will the cost of installation. I’ve been in there several times while customers dropped off their car, all factory condition, and Dee gave them a quote and that was the end of discussion. You get the point.
Anyway, back to the review… Growing up in the 80’s-90’s, my love for a good car audio system has only become more solid (and expensive) as I age and become more audio tech savvy, and have the money /​skill to set up my own systems. I have FOUR vehicles and every single one of them has a complete system from Arden Audio. I have never had a single problem with anything I got from A.A. They carry everything from entry level gear to pretty serious equipment that can and will give you a headache ha ha. Trust me on this. I get compliments on my stereos all the time for their sound quality and sheer power. Of course, I always over-​power the system so it doesn’t work too hard.
True, there are other places out there, like the guys down the street (not mentioning any names) with ads everywhere, sales gimmicks, and catchy slogans. In my experience, the larger flashy shops will pressure you to buy more expensive stuff (30%-50% MORE than at A. A charges for the exact same thing), and they often make you feel like an idiot if you don’t agree with their recommendations.
I can’t speak for the installation as I do all my own stunts… but the buying experience and quality of equipment have always been excellent! Whatever you do, save your money and buy the good stuff so you only need to buy it ONCE! Treat it right, and your stereo system can last over 10 years easily.

Bait and switch scammers. Listed on Craig’s List «for sale by owner» new in box — and come to find out they’re trying to sell returned equipment at an audio dealership. The whole thing was shady and I got the high pressure sales tactics and when we started to talk about price, the labor costs changed…
Stay away…