Steve Livingston is StereoMan. Steve has over forty years of technical experience in electronics, including two-way radio, radio common carrier, and over 30 years in consumer electronics repair.
Steve provides both bench repairs and in-home service as needed, and is always willing to offer a little guidance if you’re unsure how to proceed with your equipment needs.
What experience does StereoMan have?
Why does Stereoman do this work?
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StereoMan is conveniently located at 30 Park Lane Ave, one mile from I-40 Exit 44. (Smoky Park Highway). Just turn right onto Acton Circle at the McDonald’s, go past the entry lane to Home Depot and turn left at the light onto Sand Hill School Road. It’s easy to get here from Sand Hill Road as well, just turn onto Sand Hill School Road at the Sand Hill Grocery (Marathon gas station). From points west on Smoky Park Highway, turn right at Bruce Road (the last turn before the I-40 on-ramp), right again at Highland Center Blvd, then left onto Sand Hill School Road. Click on the map for a larger view. When you arrive, please park in my driveway and walk across the front yard on the path provided. I will meet you at the table under the pop-up canopy!
Oct 20, 2026
I buy on ebay a lot. Like, almost every day. It’s the world’s best source for hard-to-find and downright obsolete semiconductors, and the only place I know where people sell mechanical and cosmetic parts for vintage stereos manufactured to exact spec’s on 3-D printers. And there are two used CD player models and one used two-channel stereo that I keep on hand for my customers in need of a replacement, and guess where I get them? Ebay is a buyer’s paradise for used stereo equipment — no matter how much the seller says they do or do not stand behind the item, ebay provides a bullet-proof guarantee: if it’s listed as “used” it must work exactly as intended.
And yes, there have been numerous instances when I had to make a claim with a seller because their “used” product didn’t pass muster. But almost every time, the seller is cordial and cooperative, and often when the issue is something I can resolve myself we can work things out for a partial refund rather than going through the hassle of returning the item. Usually I cut the seller a break, accepting in good faith that they didn’t know there was an issue.
I had a close call recently though, I bought a pair of small speakers for a customer and the seller didn’t bother to pack them, just sent them in their flimsy retail boxes. Unsurprisingly, they were damaged in shipment. I contacted the seller, but instead of offering a full refund for their carelessness, they said “Oh you can easily fix those with a rubber mallet!” Really? I’m supposed to fix your mess and then convince my customer to purchase damaged goods? No, I said, you need to step up and do the right thing! Then they offered to send me a replacement pair. Hah! Like I want another pair of bent speakers! No, I said, I didn’t ask for a replacement. I asked for a refund.
Days went by and I never heard another word from the seller. To ebay’s credit, if the seller does not cooperate on a return, they will step in on the buyer’s behalf. But then this morning, just in time to avoid that, the seller approved the return. I guess they’ve sold enough damaged goods that they knew what was going to happen next.
October 10, 2026
StereoMan has had the same basic rates for two decades: a $25 diagnostic charge paid as a deposit on most equipment, and an hourly of $48. Now the time has come to raise my rates — not the hourly though. The deposit. I find that far too often when it takes a lot more than $25 worth of time providing a quote for a repair, it ends up being too costly, the estimate is declined, and I have given away time that I should be compensated for. My bad! I have enough experience to know in advance what types of equipment typically take more time to assess, and I am charging higher deposits to compensate for that, beginning Oct 19.
I will let you know in advance what your charge will be. No surprises. Some equipment will still be just $25 — 5-disc CD changers and belt-drive turntable for example. Other equipment will be a lot more, e.g. home theater receivers will be $50 from now on, record changers will be $65. It typically takes a lot more time to assess these products, and inevitably it costs more to repair them. As always, the deposit will be deducted from the total repair charge, and if you check my reviews you will see that I have always been fair and reasonable. That won’t change.
Sep 21, 2026
I don’t like being more than two weeks behind on my bench work, but the incoming work has not abated and while I was able to hold it down to three weeks for a while, I have now accumulated another week of backlog. I’m trying to reverse the trend, working more hours than I want to, turning away questionable repair jobs, and setting aside a few too many long-term projects for a future, less busy, day. But right now, I have to concede, it’s four weeks. I’m going to tell you again when you bring your equipment in for repair: I’m four weeks out. Rest assured, you will hear from me, but it will be four weeks. Really.
May 15, 2026
Vintage stereophiles love the Marantz 2200-series receivers for a lot of very good reasons, not the least of which is the eerie blue backlighting on the tuning dial. And every once in a while, a customer will request that I give their Pioneer, Sansui, Technics, or other non-Marantz stereo that same blue glow. Here’s a Pioneer SX-750 that’s had the Blue Glow Modification.
Back in “the day” when lamp replacement was needed there wasn’t much choice about lamp color but with the rising popularity of LED lighting I can offer my vintage owners a lot of options. Most go for the “soft white” LED’s which are not nearly as “warm” as the original incandescents but last essentially forever. Some ask for the “clear” LED’s which provide enhanced brightness for showing off in a well-lit room. There’s also yellow LED’s. Others request good old-fashioned incandescents. I can do that too.
But that blue glow! It’s not a Marantz, but it sure looks cool!
March 1, 2025
I’ve been charging the same rates for my services for over a decade, and am resistant to making a change in my hourly, but I do need to start charging more for my travel. It’s never been quite enough to cover my time behind the wheel and the wear on my car. So that’s what I’ve decided to do. My old rate was a flat $2/mile with a $10 minimum. My new rate is a little more complicated:
* $15 for the first five miles (just about anywhere in West Asheville)
* $3 per mile for miles 6-18 (so 18 miles would be $54)
* $5 per each two miles for 20 miles or more (so 19 or 20 miles is $59, 39 or 40 miles is $109, etc.)
To be clear, the mileage is the distance from my house, not the round trip. I will always let you know in advance what the exact mileage charge will be. Just ask!
Mar 24, 2026
My caller this morning told me a friend was offering him a Marantz 2325 in unknown working condition that had been stored in a garage for at least 25 years. He wanted to know what it would cost to have it repaired. What could I tell him over the phone?? I explained that it would probably only need cleaning, lamps, and some alignment, because that beast was so well built. But even if it had crashed and burned before it was stored away, it would be worth repairing, I said. I conceded that it was hands down my favorite of the “power wars” receivers of the late 70’s and early 80’s.
What about recapping? he asked me. I told him what I tell everyone who asks: recapping is a myth promoted by solder jockeys who don’t know how to troubleshoot at component level, an easy way to take advantage of the vintage fan’s ignorance and make a lot of money doing unnecessary work. I replace the ones that need replacing. Period. I will do a complete recapping only when requested, and only after you hear my tirade about how expensive, how unnecessary, and sometimes counterproductive recapping is.
But what’s it going to cost? he kept asking me. I said look, how much does your friend want for it? A thousand, he said. What’s the appearance factor, I asked him. It’s nearly perfect, he said.
I told him to jump on it.
Jan 22, 2026
Sound bars are particularly challenging to repair, in part because the manufacturers offer next to no support for their products, and in part because they are generally very difficult to take apart, and even more difficult to put back together! So when I got a call to repair a sound bar with what was described as a “broken jack,” I had to ask a few clarifying questions before I felt there was enough chance of success to take a $25 deposit and give it a shot.
The customer showed up today with the sound bar, I took one look at the “broken jack” and I knew right away that A) it wasn’t a broken jack and B) I could probably resolve the issue in just a few seconds. Before I wrote up a work order and the customer gave me the $25 down, I said “Wait just a minute” and went back in my shop to get my smallest flush cutters. I came back out, grabbed the pin that had broken off in the jack with the tip of my flush cutters and pulled it out. All done! My customer was so relieved and happy, he gave me the $25 even though I would have done it for free. No talking him out of it!
But that wasn’t the end of the story! A couple hours later I got an email from him. He said “It might seem a simple fix, but your expertise calmed the stress. The Sound Bar is back where it belongs and working like a champ.” Great! I like a success story. And what a nice guy! A far cry from the caller who groused over the phone the other day about having to pay the deposit because “what if I couldn’t fix it, then he’d be out $25 for nothing.” Yeah buddy. My time may have no value to you, but it’s precious to me. Glad you decided not to follow up with an appointment.
Jan 11, 2026
I would like it better if my bench backlog (the time from the day you bring in your equipment to the day it gets to my work bench) was down to two weeks, but recently I have been taking in a higher volume of work and it has set me back an additional week. With regrets for the inconvenience, please be prepared for a three week time frame between the day you bring your equipment in for repair and the day it reaches my workbench.
Home & Car Stereo - Home Theater
Installation - Maintenance - Advice
