Fred's Sound Of Music Audio Video Inc. in
Portland (OR)

Great customer service and a wealth of knowledge. Can’t recommend them enough for any of your stereo equipment needs

I had a Stanton and Technics turntable needing new cartridges. Chris in the the repair shop was really helpful in explaining the benefits and limitations of each turntable. He precisely explained the tonal quality of the different cartridges and was not jargon heavy. Very patient, interested and helpful. I am going to bring my Technics back for some cleaning up soon. Giving my money to Fred's made me really happy.

My husband wanted to upgrade our sound system from Sonos (which has made some terrible decisions of late) and so he found himself at Fred's. After telling me the quoted price (and I began breathing again), we popped in so I could hear the actual system. Tony was our salesperson and he was awesome through the entire process (and continues to be when we stop by). He is super friendly, fun to chat with, knows music very well, and is not a pushy salesperson at all. I was sold once I heard the first notes coming out of the system so we began the process of ordering everything, trading in our old system, and waiting for install. The process took a little while, but that was expected and overall, everything went very smoothly. Tony remembers us every time we stop by and asks us questions about things we had chatted with him about. For instance, when I got the demo back in the summer, I requested to hear Brandi Carlile. My husband swung by this weekend (November) to buy a new turntable and Tony asked if I had gotten Brandi Carlile tickets for her March 2026 show! That is one of those little things that goes a long way in terms of keeping customers. Dave was our installer and he was super chill and nice, as well. Our giant Pyrenees also loved him (I think that was a mutual feeling). Dave was very respectful of the house as he worked and he explained everything really well to my husband and I. During the final tests, something wasn't working correctly and we thought Dave was stumped (he was more frustrated than we were lol), but in the end everything was figured out just fine. Another excellent experience with Fred's! At some point, we won't need to buy more audio equipment, but when we do, we will for sure go back to Fred's to see Tony. I'm so grateful that Portland has an audio shop like this because you never get quality equipment and quality customer service from the same place these days!

Hands down an amazing store and staff. I was in need of a new home stereo setup as Sonos was just pi$$ing me off. Being newer to the area I started the hunt for a good store and stumbled on Fred’s Sound of Music. I wandered in for a quote that I knew would give my wife heart palpitations. That’s when I met the staff at Fred’s, which made the process easier and even made winning over the wife easier. Tony sat me down with a few speaker options and we went through the usual songs to test hi-fi systems. In the end Tony helped me make the right choice without breaking my budget. When my wife came in and was being skeptical of the cost he walked her through the same process and it clicked. Wife aggro avoided! Once the parts came in I was fit into the schedule. The installer that came out, Dave, was super awesome and helpful. I had plans to rewire so it looked cleaner, but he did that as part of the process. When we hit a snag due to the CEC of multiple components trying to take over, he did everything he could to resolve it and turns out it was a check box hidden deep in the Hue Sync Box app. We treated everything and it worked flawlessly. He then taught my wife how to use everything as well. I’ve now been back to look at headphones and even bought my turntable upgrade.

Awesome audio shop. You can tell when you first walk in that they know audio and have a very nice collection of new and used gear. Wish I could had stayed longer.

Everyone here is super kind, knowledgeable, and approachable. They fixed a turntable issue for me in about 5 minutes free of charge and gave me a bunch of helpful info about improving my sound system. Will definitely be coming back for speakers! Can’t recommend them enough!

Probably the coolest store shop ever. Fixed the belt on our turntable and gave it a very solid look over!!! ? a reason to support local!!! Jeff Bezos doesn’t give a shit about how your stereo sounds, these guys do!!! I’d recommend to anyone!!

I stopped by Fred’s Sound of Music in Portland looking for a cassette player. While they didn’t have exactly what I was looking for, the owner was incredibly helpful and took the time to answer my questions and offer suggestions. You can tell they really care about audio and customer experience. Even though I didn’t make a purchase this time, I’d definitely come back for other gear!

The technicians here are experienced, efficient and approachable. They spent ten minutes diagnosing a turntable for me, and provided sound advice (no pun intended!) on whether the repair would be worth it. I’ll be coming back, thanks guys!

I am usually a “do it yourself” kind of person. When it comes to your table, don’t be like me! A good friend caught me shopping online for a new stylus. She said “please don’t waste your time, just go to Fred’s.” Best recommendation ever. 15 minutes and $52 later I walked out with a fixed table and a smile on my face due to the BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER! I said my toddler broke the stylus, so he “toddler proofed it” at no extra charge. He invited me back to his work area and taught me about my table (he could tell I was a novice). I think his name was Jordan… he was awesome and will keep me coming back for any turntable needs in the future. DIY’ers, please follow my suit… thank me later!

Fred’s is super helpful. If you have any hifi needs, I’d suggest you buy local. Support a Portland institution. Excellent resource for new and used home audio gear. Good selection of turntables and accessories

Fred's is a wonderful holdover from the days when mom and pop audio stores existed in many neighborhoods. They carry new gear at all price ranges, as well as doing repairs and selling a fantastic variety of used audio. In my experience, high quality hifi gear tends to be bought by people who take good care of it, and makes for excellent purchase opportunities when the original owner decides to upgrade. Whether I need something or not, looking at both the new and the used gear at Fred's is always fun.

Excellent experience here today with my purchase of a new turntable. Fred's has always been top notch and today was consistent with previous experiences. Update 6/8: The turntable (Rega P1) sounds incredible. It sails right past my expectations; the Vibrapod Isolators were an excellent suggestion. This was a gift for my wife's birthday and she is in heaven listening to her excellent vinyl collection. Total breakthrough & home run, guys. Can't thank you enough.

Freds Sound of Music is one of my favorite stores! They have helped me avoid huge purchasing mistakes and find what I really wanted. Somehow every time I go, I get a new piece of equipment and couldn't be happier with the experience and the speakers I have picked up here. Between Bill and everyone else there, you will find what you need, and they have fantastic options at many different price points. We have purchased almost three separate systems over the years, and not one piece has ever experienced failure. Between upgrading equipment, getting a sub re-foamed, all experiences were fantastic. There storeroom is clean, and well organized. They have a good selection of devices in stock, and more on display. It can be a lot to spend thousands on a home theater/stereo system, so being able to listen, and pair the receiver and speakers together really helps take the stress of the "what if I don't like it". They have great listening rooms where you can select different receivers and see their features and select the speakers you want to listen too. Last time I was in I saw a fantastic pair of used paradigm tower speakers, and they were more than willing to wheel them into the room and let me have a listen. There is no pressure to make a purchase, but rather just listen and help you find what you like. If they were not so open to letting me listen to the speakers, I would have missed out on my favorite speakers. I drive almost 30 mins to come see them, and it is more than worth it. The buying experience is so much better than buying online or at a big box store. They are extremely knowledgeable and are more than willing to work and find what suits you the most.

This place is what a business should be. I took my record player and received in, and it was a simple fix (more educational issue), and they didn't charge me. Basically I was being dumb, but Anthony gave me a very nice explanation and even offered a phone call if I got home and couldn't put it all back together. Great parking lot in the back which alleviates the Hawthorne parking problem. They also have great equipment and buy and exchange equipment. This was one of my better customer service interactions in the last 10 years. Great business.

Fred's Sound of Music makes dreams come true!! Joseph was incredibly knowledgeable and eager to help in assisting me plan a birthday gift of surround sound for my partner in our home theater! A couple of trusted audiophile friends recommended Fred's with good reason and Joseph made it so easy for me, from researching and knowing what would be compatible with both the gear we already had and the physical space of the room. I walked away more knowledgeable about sound systems and so excited to gift the surround sound experience! P.S. He loved the gift and is itching to watch the first movie with the new sound system!

Fred's is outstanding, from Bill (manager) on down! I have gone to Fred's for 10+ years on any issues related to my home turntable setup. My A/V knowledge is underwhelming, so appreciate that they have always taken the time to explain things and been fair on price. Strongly recommend.

Life-Changing Experience at Fred's! Bought a used pair of B&W speakers at a good price after listening to several new speakers there. Couldn't be happier. Knowledgeable staff and great no-pressure sales experience. Now I get to relisten to all my music and hear it in its full glory. The sound from these speakers is heavenly. Highly recommended!

My husband and I recently decided that we needed to up our speaker game. We both really love listening to vinyl, but felt like our small, table top speakers were no longer cutting it. We knew it was time to upgrade to a pair of floor standing speakers, to achieve the richer and multi layered sounds we were looking for. Having only general speaker knowledge but being somewhat picky about sound, we started our search at Fred’s, and we’re so glad we did! The staff were instantly friendly, knowledgeable and happy to help. We were able to listen to many speaker options, at various price points, and felt like our wish list was considered with the suggestions made. After bouncing back and forth in comparison, we decided to purchase a refurbished pair of B & W speakers, and wow, sound and quality is undeniable! We are SO happy with our purchase and appreciate the service, patience and direction from the staff at Fred’s! We will definitely be recommending them in the future to anyone else looking to up their sound game. We will also be giving them our business again in the future! Thank you:-)

Recently purchased a turn table and set of speakers and I’m really pleased with the purchase. Bill did a great job of making sure we got something that met all our wants and needs and did a great job explaining the differences between our options. It’s nice to deal with people who are clearly experts about their products.

Bill, Jordan, Will and the rest of the crew at Fred's make the entire experience enjoyable and worry free. They have amazing industry experience as well as personal experience. They won't try to up sell you and will do everything they can to guide you to the best gear for your budget. They also have a fantastic repair center and will do their best to get your equipment repaired. Fred's is an old school audio store with really fair prices and an unbeatable staff. They do their best to develop a relationship with their customers. It's worked for me, I am certain it will work for you.

(See a video of my equipment working attached to this review!) Great experience getting my first legit vinyl player setup. Friendly staff had all the knowledge to get me what I needed and weren’t standoffish toward someone with less know-how. I got a; Denon DP-29F Turntable Audioengine 2+ Wireless Speakers (sounds great for the size) Record cleaning brush And a stylus cleaning brush. This was all I needed to be out the door in 25 minutes tops. After searching online and in big box stores for weeks with little good equipment to be found, these local guys were a big help and will definitely get me and my families future business! I didn’t catch the employee that helped me’s name, but hope he knows he was appreciated during this sale!

I can not recommend the sales and service at Fred's enough, Six Stars! I have been a customer for 20 years and never been disappointed. Sales and service has always been completely transparent. If you need or want repairs or modifications done your to a Technics 1200. Brent is your guy! Photo are from two decks that Brent has worked on for me.

Hands down one of the best experiences I've had as a customer, ever. Staff is knowledgeable, kind, and efficient. I've worked in customer service a loooong time and these guys juggled a bunch of customers as a seamless team, making sure no one felt ignored. They spoke to everyone with respect and made sure we were all served in a timely manner, even asking customers what their time limit was to prioritize people. Fantastic customer service. I called ahead to see if it was worth repairing my ancient table that was my mother's. I was given an honest opinion without any push to purchase from them. I took my old one in to donate for parts, which they graciously accepted even though they did not need it. Bill took the time to talk me through my purchase options for a new turntable, was really nice, and walked me through everything without being condescending or talking over my head. The gentleman who rang me up and set up my new table was really nice and efficient. He was the one who I spoke with on the phone as well. I'm sitting here now listening to my gorgeous new table play my Lionel Ritchie record better than I've ever heard it play before. They do offer financing. This was a great experience and I will be coming to Fred's for all of my audio needs in the future. You would do well to do the same! I highly recommend.

I have a 70’s era integrated amplifier in need of repair. Being most all of my HIFI is the same era. I was also looking for a reputable and competent shop to establish a relationship. Fred’s is all that and more. When I took the unit in they advised me of about a 2-3 week turn around time provided parts were not needed. Imagine my surprise when they called me a week later and said it was ready. Fred’s went through the entire unit and re soldered cold joints, cleaned pots and generally gave it a good cleaning. The sound improvement was dramatic. I really cannot think the last time this unit has sounded this good. All at a very fair price considering the expertise needed with this vintage equipment. Fred’s is now my go to shop all things vintage.

I purchased a home theater system using Paradigm Personas from Fred's. I love the whole experience nearly as much as my system. I worked with Tony, whom I can't recommend more, however, all the staff are top shelf. He built me an amazing sounding system, getting every dollar of value possible from my budget. I am very pleased with what I purchased, thank you!

Extremely helpful - even a novice like myself got expert help and advice. I put off going here for a long time because I thought it was just for audiophiles. Even though they have super high end stuff, they often have very reasonably priced used equipment. It's amazing to see the Nice Stuff too. Super nice staff. Many thanks!