Repair Policies


All equipment sent to us will automatically be repaired unless we find while working on it that the repair would go over the maximum limit for your particular model (see repair policy price lists). If repairs can be completed for the limit or less, we will proceed. A few unusual "High End" and "Esoteric" units have a higher limit for parts and labor and are not covered by our price chart. Feel free to contact us to inquire if you are not certain what category your equipment belongs in. If we find the repair would go over the limit, we will call you with a free estimate unless the unit has been badly worked on (see below).

Should I send money with my repair? 
No – we will call you AFTER we have worked on your repair - we take VISA/Master Card/Discover. If you twist our arms, both of them, hard...we will take AMEX. We reserve the right to insist on cash only if there has been any difficulty or history of bad credit.  We can take checks without releasing the unit if we wait 10 days for the check to clear.

Free Estimate/Return Shipping Info:  
Do we provide up front estimates? Generally not*. Often the only way to determine how much repair is needed is to perform most of the repair, to see how the rest of the unit is working. After we start repairs, if we find that repair charges will go over the limit, we will call you with a free estimate UNLESS WE FIND THE UNIT HAS BEEN POORLY WORKED ON*.  If the repair is not wanted at that time, we take the loss for any parts and labor, and will return the unit to you by UPS COD for the cost of shipping charges only. On completed repairs, we pay all return insurance & shipping charges within the 48 states. The exception to this is if you have a heavy amplifier or delicate piece of equipment that requires extra padding/boxing/crating/insurance etc. If this is the case, you must contact us first (see: boxing and shipping instructions).

* Poorly worked on units may be subject to a one or two hour parts/labor fee - our rate is $110/hour. We will sometimes evaluate a unit that has been "looked at" or worked on unsuccessfully by another shop. Charges for our time and parts can be applied to the finished repair. - IF YOU KNOW THAT THE UNIT HAS BEEN WORKED ON, OR DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE UNIT, PLEASE Contact us at (914) 739-2885 and ask for Mark, or email mark@sound-smith.com.

Repair Time:  Our work load varies with the seasons. We maintain a very large parts stock, making typical repair time 20-45 working days (from day of receipt of repair). Please bear in mind that some obsolete parts are difficult to obtain, some must come from overseas, and some are hand made which can delay your repair. We can rush repairs for a $100 charge.

Information Provided: We will supply your repair to you with a bill listing the sections worked on, and mention if those sections were upgraded with Soundsmith upgrades for reliability. We do not return or list detailed parts for the following reasons: 1) Our desire to dispose of toxic materials properly (lead, PCB's etc.), and 2) Our desire to maintain intellectual property regarding common failure items for specific models.