I saw a YouTube video last night in which the reviewer claimed that PS Audio now charges a minimum $750 fee for out of warranty repairs no matter how small the repair is.
Just wondering if that is true?
The reviewer owns many PS Audio products but didn’t get his DirectStream repaired because of the cost and instead bought a Norwegian Electrocompaniet dac.
Is this accurate scoop? Thanks.
That’s what I was quoted prior to just sneaking in with 3 days left on my DS warranty.
Even more scandalous, the reviewer claims @Paul trashed McIntosh in one of his videos 
I know JL Audio charges $450 for the Fathom subwoofer service.
Paul left this in the comment section…
“Yikes! I just watched this and feel horrified if what you’re saying about what we charge people for repairs is true. That’s just plain wrong. I am doing some checking to see if maybe I am not missing something…”
Why don’t you contact the service department to inquire about any service needs you might have…?
@scotte1 I’m more interested in salacious scandals than actually getting a repair 
In my experience, the repair service you mention is a bargain for what they did for me. My F112 went back for an inoperative room correction mode problem. In addition to repairing the problem I sent it in for, they replaced nearly every part of the sub except for the driver and the cabinet with newer parts. I felt I got a bargain for what they did above and beyond my initial ask.
I did fail to mention that! Thank you for bringing that up. JL Audio did say they basically go thru the whole sub and bring it up to current specs. They also offered to do a V2 upgrade which replaces everything except the cabinet for $3500. If it was a little less and I didn’t have 2 the V2 would be tempting!
wow… i hope this is not true… about 2 years back I had my cary slp98p repaired and upgraded for about that price… i get a minimum bench fee… but 750 no matter what seems … and is extremely steep…
If this wasn’t true, I suspect someone from PSA would’ve said so by now.
From the comments section below the video:
So, PS Audio Service here.
That repair fee is either a cap for parts and labor OR the flat fee for an overhaul/repair and a 1-year warranty.
The Quintessence you mentioned no longer has parts around to fix it/fix it reliably. Our guys will spend 12+ hours on board level repairs in those cases, hence the $750 cap, as the labor cost will most likely reach over that amount.
We also do not charge if we cannot repair. Shipping back and forth is a cost in itself, but if we are hesitant to take a product in we make it clear that it might not be repairable, so I would have to say the risk is known before sending the unit.
Did I miss anything? Cause I’d really like to make things clear here. I think our service is pretty good and would like to make sure most others feel the same. (I know you can’t win em’ all) 
Yup, seems we are charging what it costs us to handle these out of warranty products. That said, I am not sure it fits in with our HiFi Family values. I have asked the president of our company, Jim Laib, to look at what it would take to significantly reduce those prices and absorb the costs as goodwill. Jim’s currently on a two week I(much needed) vacation but upon his return we should be able to make some policy changes.
Thanks Paul. You don’t know how much that mean to me. It’s good to know we are taken care of even when out of warranty. My concerns is I have had a series of issues with both BHK Pre and DSD DAC, both were taken care of under warranty, but that left me with little confidence that they are reliable enough not to need warranty service again. Thanks for putting yourself in your customer shoes, it’s the key reason I continue to support PS Audio products.
Paul, you have it the nail on the head. It’s not all about producing great sound at the lowest possible price, but also having the peace of mind that should something go wrong the manufacturer has your back. Easy access to repairs and knowing they wont be left with a brick destined for the landfill should it be uneconomic repair is why people are willing to pay more upfront. It also keeps the second hand market buoyant making it more likely someone will buy new since they know their investment in great sound will retain a good portion of its value.
“Yup, seems we are charging what it costs us to handle these out of warranty products.”
If you’re saying that it costs the company $750 per customer to break even on handling the volume of out of warranty repairs that come through the door, that’s a pretty mind blowing figure. As someone who’s been in business themselves, I understand there are many hidden costs that aren’t immediately obvious. That said, timely and fairly priced support for out of warranty repairs is a very major factor in my buying decisions for audio products that are likely to need service. Knowing that a $750.00 minimum is in play for out of warranty repairs would definitely affect my future buying decisions.
