Soundsations Records

I was on a trek today to hit some stores i have yet to go to since my move back and this was on my list. After spending well over an hour of digging and about 212.00 later, I can safely say this store was worth it. Very very reasonably priced, very clean records. The staff is incredibly nice and the store was clean and organized. I'll Def be coming back.

It's a great place to hunt for vinyls, CDs and Blu-ray discs. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended place to visit.

Favorite record store in LA. I've been coming here for 25 years (bought my first CD'S ever at their original location). This is my go-to for vinyl purchases. Super fair prices. The guys are really friendly and always willing to help. Strike up a sports or music conversation with them!

Read more @ danieldeboulay.com or go to @soca.flac on Instagram | (from an essay about cassettes) | In the hands of an artist, the studio could now become part of the story because it could live anywhere. Tascam’s four-track machines let artists bypass expensive studios, paving the way for today’s home production. In the eighties, Bruce Springsteen recorded his album Nebraska on a TEAC 144 four-track in his home. Meant as demos, the songs lost their rawness when re-recorded professionally. The cassette’s limitations—its compression, its intimacy—became part of the album’s haunting mood. Now, artists can record anywhere with a laptop or phone. Like Nebraska, the lesson is clear: technology should serve the moment, not the other way around.

Visited from out of town based on a couple recommendations. After my visit I don’t know how anyone would recommended this place or rate it higher than a 2/5. Not a great selection of vinyl. High prices. Felt more like a flea market. No greeting or eye contact from the guys working there. Bad vibes. Unsure how a record store like this stays in business. Well organized though!

I was staying at Hilton LAX Airport and decided to Google for vinyl record store nearby…Soundsations Record immediately popped out as nearest to me! Though a 30 minutes walk from Hilton, it was worth it if a vinyl records buying/collectors.. very good selection of LPs/vinyls on pop/rock/jazz, etc.. I ended buying 8 pieces of what I like and with good reasonable prices!

Always a good experience. They have fantastic prices and a great selection. Rare finds and common popular music. The only down side is the parking sucks around that area.

The best record store in L.A. if you are looking to buy cds and vinyls. I can spend hours looking for an interesting buy and not get bored. They also have a 99 cents cd bargain section where you can find gems.

To the guy that updated his 10 year old review, I second this! I've been collecting for a solid 15 years around Los Angeles and Soundsations just seems to always get it right. To me, this shop seems like a sanctuary for the raw, unfiltered essence of music that embodies the spirit of underground artistry. It showcases a plethora of unique musicians from all over the nation, making it a must-visit for those who crave authenticity and innovation in their musical experience. I've discovered SO many lesser known, extremely talented artists that I've actually been able to meet and hangout with as a result! I'm telling you, this shop is a GEM. Unfortunately for me, I've since moved away from Los Angeles and only visit from time to time. However, I make it a ritual to ALWAYS stop by to pick up a handful of new vinyls before trekking to wherever I need to go back to.

Such a cool record store. I just bought a record player after many years and am building my collection again. I have a tight list of albums I'm looking for and I found 5 of them here! Some used and some new - great selection for the size of the story. Good prices, friendly, helpful staff. Definitely worth the trip, and some cute coffee shops and restaurants around the corner.

First time visiting Soundsations on 1/13/24 and it won't be our last. My kids are into vinyl records and my brother in law who is s collector recommended this place. No one greeted us as we entered but that's ok. Seemed like the 2 gentlemen who worked there looked nice. They have plenty of options, if you're looking for vinyl, CDs, even posters, they have it. My kids enjoyed looking through everything! We found some really cool records such as Elvis, Whitney Houston, The Bodyguard soundtrack, Sound of Music soundtrack, The Weekend, The Smith's etc... the older and used vinyl differ in prices. They have used records for $1.99 and new ones for $30 or so. They are located in Westchester on La Tijera. Plenty of street parking available. They're open until 7 pm. I know we will be back again.

We were visiting LA during Labor Day Weekend and made a stop to Soundsations before our flight back home. I'd recommend to all vinyl collectors and music lovers, local and visiting, to check out Soundsations if they haven't already! They have a wide selection of new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes, movies and more. All their prices were reasonable and fair, and lots of vinyl was priced lower than I've seen at other shops or online. During this recent trip, I was searching for an older press of Journey's Escape and Soundsations had a very good plus (VG+) 1981 copy on hand for a great price! *Grabs with no hesitation* My partner also found a VG copy of Donna Summer's On The Radio: Greatest Hits Vol. I & II. This one was a special find because we just saw Beyoncé on this trip and she sampled Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" for her song "Renaissance". I also grabbed a few CDs to gift to family: ATCQ's People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, Bruno Mars' 24K Magic and The 2 Live Crew's Greatest Hits. There were so many records I found here that I haven't seen in person elsewhere. I wanted to get them all! But I'm more than happy with the albums we purchased! To top it off, the staff was very friendly and helpful. Next time we're in LA, I definitely plan to stop by Soundsations again for another record haul!

Updating my review more than 10 years later. This is now the number one new/used music store in LA, in my opinion

Picked up the Oct. 2023 re-master of "Frontiers" by Journey today at about half the going price - love a bargain! And glad Soundsations made it through the pandemic. Keep on rockin' people!

This is my favorite record store from when I was in college LMU'99. I still come back here and find gems.

Great variety of older rock and hip hop albums. Most reasonably priced. All play great. Nice alternative to driving to amoeba or trawling through discogs. Parking is easy on the street.

Such a beautiful place to immerse yourself in an assortment of CDs & vinyls. The overall ambiance is DOPE, and the staff are amazing!!

Best record store in Los Angeles. Better prices than anywhere. Amazing clearance section. Friendly staff/owners. Always free parking. Small shop but its a gem. I always feel great walking in there.

Knowledgeable and helpful staff with a Great ears for music. If you are looking to find some rare vinyl or pickup some cds or even dvds this place has you hooked up.

To start off I would like to say that I do review record stores about their service and how fairly they price both selling and buying. They have a great selection but do be careful what you buy as some items are overpriced some are not you just have to look. As far as selling your items here I do not recommend as they offer less than 20% of what it's worth even less sometimes. I've sold here many times and seems to me like they're all over the place with prices Usually most record stores sell under median maybe a little more if items are in great shape. I recommend selling your items to amoeba, under the radar, or even list your items online you will make your money faster and easier as well. If you come to shop it's a cool little shop but can definitely find items here cheaper online in better condition. I hope this helps who ever reads this and understand that buying here can be better than other place sometimes but selling here is not your go to place.

This was a cool record store with a good selection. It mainly caters to "Rock" artist (that term is used generally here) but it does offer selections of: Soundtracks, reggae, jazz, hip hop, R&B, metal and so on. Selection: There is a good mix of used and new records. So you have the perfect t balance of finding Harry Styles' (insert popular artist) album to a used Barry White album. So i enjoyed the selection. Price: it's a mixed bag. They offer used records at a cheaper price, and new records are priced at the typical rate. So i guess $20 give or take depending on the record. Location: they offer Records, CDs, posters and Movies. It was a little warm inside the establishment which made me roll up the sleeves of my long sleeve shirt. Staff: they were friendly enough Overall enjoyed my visit.

These guys are hella rude for literally no reason. I just picked up the Revolver bundle on release day and called to return it the following day because it had really bad inner groove distortion on She Said She Said. I got a second copy from them and it had the same issue. I even took a few days with it to determine if it was my equipment, but it wasn't. All of my other copies of Revolver did not have this terrible distortion. When I called Soundsations to ask about what to do in the case of defects, the cashier was incredibly hostile and told me they "couldn't afford for me to return another one" and that "an audiophile friend of theirs took a listen and that he said there was no problem with the record" and also nobody else came back with this problem, only me. I asked if there was contact info for Universal/Apple to get a replacement copy and he told me to "yeah, why don't you go email Capitol and they'll reply back to you in about 2 to 3 years" Wtf? Low and behold, SEVERAL people are coming forward on both Discogs and Steve Hoffman with the same exact issue that I have. Now I have this defective copy of Revolver and they wouldn't even so much as notify their distributor about this issue or be genuinely nice people. There was no reason to act this way with me when I was polite and respectful to you guys. I have recommended so many people to your store and spent tons of money here. I always came here to support a local business but if that's how you guys treat honest customers, fuck that absolutely no way. Record Surplus was so apologetic to me when I told them how you treated me - I should have bought it through them. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves with that type of behavior.

Finally think about giving up on this place. I've been going here because it had better selections that most records stores in my area. Unfortunately I had such a horrible experience on my last visit. The cashier was talking up a storm and being friendly to literally everybody else. I come up to the counter to pay. Not a hi. Not a word. He looks at the vinyl I'm purchasing. Dionne Warwick. Lady GaGa. He rings up the prices and instead of reading the total like a regular person, he points to the screen. I pass him my card. Instead of telling me to enter my PIN, he points to the machine. The transaction is done and he's asked everyone who's paid if they'd like a bag. But instead, he hands me my receipt and again. Not a word. So I requested one. It's 2021, so I'm flat out just gonna say it. I felt discriminated against as a gay man. I absolutely did nothing wrong compared to anyone else that the cashier interacted with. What makes me different? Take your homophobic attitude elsewhere, dude. Really disappointed with this experience and it'll definitely leave a sting. I definitely won't recommend coming here if you're not the type of audience this place caters to.

I have been going to Soundsations for over 20 years. I always loved Danny and Jordan has been there for so long before Danny's retirement! I always trusted Jordan to work on all my cars and toys!! Now that Jordan runs Soundsations I have to say he has done our can am and our pontoon switch boat and they are kick ass amazing! Quality in wire running, placement, and sound! Customer service is off the charts amazing! I am going back for my motorhome shortly! I did have a factory issue with my new deck in my truck and Jordan took care of it right away with minimal time from me needed! Soundsations is better than ever now!!!!

I just reviewed The Book Jewel and mentioned how I like to hit up Soundstations and The Book Jewel on the same trip (they about a minute walk from each other), so I figured I should review Soundstations, too. Cool selection of used and new vinyl. Lots of CDs, too. Fun staff to chat with -- they'll order stuff for you if they don't have it in the store. Prices are fair, in line with other vinyl stops. I'm new to Soundstations, only been going for a few years, but I feel like it's been there forever, it has that old-time, High Fidelity, record store feel. Plenty of parking nearby and some pretty good bars and restaurants right there, too. Definitely recommend Soundstations.

Really great store with a good mix of new and used inventory. Parking can be a challenge but you'll figure it out.

A large selection of music. They have CD's and vinyl records to browse through. The staff is super friendly and helpful in trying to find what you are looking for. The only ding I would have to give them is some of the music is priced on the high side. Other than that I would come back here if I needed to find something I wanted.

Extremely disappointed with the environment here. Some very inappropriate comments were made by middle age male worker that were very sexist and misogynistic and unwarranted. I would recommend not going to this place, until they fix their sexist environment and maybe have more female presence and voices. This is a prime example of a toxic male environment! Bummer this place is like this because I'm a huge record collector I would recommend any other record store than this place.

First time at Soundsations today and had a great time picking up some records. Atmosphere in the store is super easy going. Staff might not greet you when you first come in, but don't take it personal. They probably get a bunch of tire kickers who just browse and leave. I think I spent a good hour and a half going through the crates and felt comfortable taking my time. They were playing some good music too. Ended up picking out 5 records, all mint, at a great price. Once I was ready to check out, Lee was super friendly, answered a bunch of my questions, and even shared an awesome bit of trivia on the ELO album I bought. Glad to have found my "go to" record store in the neighborhood and will definitely be back. Support your local brick and mortar stores!!

I have been buying music from these guys since I was 11 years old. The first CD's I ever purchased were from here (Aerosmith's Nine Lives, Foo Fighters' The Colour and The Shape, and Fiona Apple's Tidal). I bought these at the original location on Sepulveda. When I got older and really started to amp up my vinyl record digging, the bulk of my collection has come from here. I love the size, the atmosphere and the non-music-snobby attitude you get from smaller record stores (some of those owners act like you have to pass some sort of "are you worthy of buying these records off me" test.) And you also don't have to deal with the hard parking and sometimes over-crowded anxiety you get from bigger places like Amoeba. Perfect place to dig comfortably for used records

Never been there but leaving stars just because We need to keep these stores alive so support

Fun, friendly and phonically fabulous... a little slice of Mayberry in this enclave of Westchester. Plus the owner is a Dodger fan... can't beat that for local flava can you? Excellent music selections at fair prices.

I am recently transitioned female and I just started taking my hormones. When I came in, the two men behind the counter started laughing at me and cat calling me. They refused to call me by my preferred pronoun and instead referred to me as "dude" the entire time even though i had on a very sexy leather mini-skirt. All I wanted was an obscure acid jazz LP and I left empty handed and full of shame. I will never frequent this den of bigotry again.

This is the spot in West LA or the entire planet for your out of print or hard to find music. I found Soundstation on Yelp (of all places) and I was most impressed with the selection of music and memorabilia, all of which are under one cozy roof. Best of all there are no pushy sales people there breathing down your neck, but if you do have a question on a particular item someone is more than willing to help. Ill be coming back again and again. And for all you young folks out there psssssst. They not only have vinyl records, but 8 track cassettes too! BOOM! Take that mega super corporation that bares a bitten fruit for a logo!

I've been buying from these guys since I was knee high to a grasshopper. My parents used to own a pizza shop behind their old store location and I would spend every dime I earned to get the best b-side tracks and rarities. The best guys in the world. I've lived in a lot of cities and been to a lot of records shops, but Soundsations is the best. Thanks for letting an awkward kid grow her musical tastes without any judgement.

This place is great. It is like stepping back in time when music wasn't on the cloud.

I go here for my used music needs. I don't like using amazon and it's nice to know there are records stores still up and running in this day and age. The staff is cool.

From 1989 to 1996 I spent so many of my teenage dollars at this record store when they were on Sepulveda. They have a great selection, and are a good partner for selling old music that is no longer needed. My youngest daughter found Soundsations, and came home with a haul of CDs for a song. I'm glad that my kids can have the same enjoyable experience with this store in 2021 that I had in the 80s and 90s.

Always will be a gem in the Westchester area. This place never fails me as an avid record collector. I can go in there any time of the day and find some great stuff. The staff is always friendly and helps me with any questions I may have. This mom and pop shop has nostalgia that makes you feel like you're living in the golden era of life and not in this pandemic. Speaking of, you must wear your mask and utilize hand sanitizer before entering the store. Safety is a must .

I wish I could give this place a good review, but while there is a lot of potential here there's even more work to be done. I arrived 2 minutes before the scheduled opening. I waited.... waited.... peeked in the window.... called... waited until 30 min past the posted opening. While I waited I noticed 2 men across the street chatting, they kept looking at the store so I figured they were waiting for it to open just like I was. After 31 minutes of me waiting they crossed the street, unlocked the door, walked in, and locked the door. Never even acknowledged my presence. About 5 minutes later they opened the door and then said to me. "Give is a few minutes to open".... uh, ok. When I finally entered they barely even looked up. Never asked if I needed help finding anything. At this point I was close to just leaving. Oddly, as I found a few items I wanted I did notice that they have a very good selection if a bit disorganized. A few what I assume were regulars wandered in and the two employees started chewing the fat with them. I went up to reluctantly pay for things I decided I'd buy and was initially treated with the same indifference I'd experienced walking in the door. The one bright spot is that once I asked about some items I did not find the gentleman was more than happy to look through the inventory for them. Though the items were not in stock he offered to order them for me. Didn't quite make up for all the previous issues, but it took the edge off. In summary it seems like this store is really more of a hobby than a business for someone. Very good selection and potential to be better, but the customer service has to take a huge leap forward.

I love this place. Grew up in the area and bought/sold a ton of used CDs and LPs there, when they were located on Sepulveda Blvd (a block or two away from the current location). I know they used to have a lot of indie stuff, haven't been in about 2 years. Pete, Lee and the team are good folks. So glad this place is still around, core part of Westchester!

Soundsations !!! Thank Good for Peter, Lee and the entire gang there that this is one of the few last standing record shops open in So Cal - both amidst the Pandemic but even more importantly amidst the digital era of Spotify- Pandora- Amazon etc etc..... Incidentally in addition to vinyls- cds- and dvds sold- there are also a great assortment of customized t- shirts a d other musical enjoyment products! Soundsations- Ya gotta go there and check them out!! Mark Winn

Great spot. They have tons of cds and vinyl, all priced very cheap. Staff is very nice and helpful. A definite gem in L.A.

Before Amoeba Records, before cheap CDs on Amazon, after the fall of Tower and Wherehouse, there was Soundstations. Musical refuge and home away from home. Wonderful selection of all musics for the lowest prices anywhere in LA. They specialize in used/new CDs, but also offer up a nice collection of vinyls, special edition releases, and DVDs of all genres. Idea place to go to build back catalog/pick up your favorite albums. If youre not sure about the album, theyll let you listen to it in full at the listening station. Also have pretty awesome buyback pricing as well. Have spent several hundreds of dollars building my music collection. Been shopping here since I was a freshman at Westchester high school in 1996. It was very easy for me to flip my lunch money for the week into new musics. Moved with them as they moved from building to building on Sepulveda to their permanent home around the corner on La Tijera. Love this place, space, the guys running it, the owners... everyone involved. I hope it lives forever. Means a lot to me. If youre into music, supporting small business or anything good in this life, spend some of your musicmoney here.

Hands down one on the best record stores I've ever been to. Really intimate with great customer service! They had a lot random cool music for cheap I've never heard of. Great place to do some diggin!

Good selection, and they operate in a part of town with few (close to no) options for record shopping. But questionable service. Example: I called to check on stock of a limited-quantity Record Store Day item (I asked using the name of the artist and the specific title of the album), the employee said they have multiple copies in stock. When I arrived, it turned out they have multiple copies of another title by the same artist - not the title I specifically asked for. Perhaps an honest mistake, but one that cost me a cross-town trip.

At a time when brick and mortar record/CD stores have become almost extinct it is truly a pleasure to know that a store like Soundsations (which has been in business for well over three decades now) still exists. This store has always been known for having an excellent selection of vinyl LPs and CDs from virtually all musical genres at discount prices and both the new and used LPs and CDs sections have plenty to offer and commendable variety. Over the years I have found many great bargains on out-of-print CDs at Soundsations and I definitely hope this store does remain open as it truly is one of the very best record/CD stores still in business.

This is a great old school record store. They have lps, 45s, cassettes, 8 tracks and even some reel to reels. Their prices are very reasonable and staff is nice. Please support by going there and making purchases.

My three musician sons are big Soundsations fans, so when I wanted to locate an older album as a present for one of my sons, I headed over to the store. It's a place I can easily get lost in, reminiscing about the bands and friends of my youth as I thumb through an eclectic collection of rock, pop, jazz, classical, and rock and roll among a host of other genres. It was an easy process to order the Come Clean Puddle of Mudd album for my son, and it arrived in a timely manner. I recommend this store.

I was told not to come on Tuesdays as that day they dont buy old albums. So I showed up on Thursday with my box. The man behind the desk was so rude to me. I walked out with my albums and will never return. He needs to learn some better customer service manners. Who wants his old stuff anyway !!!!

The staff here are extremely rude. I love supporting local music stores but i would rather shop online that go here. Very disappointing.

Plenty of selection, good prices, and none of the pretentious 'tude. The staff is helpful, friendly and always playing something good. The danger lies in how much I will spend even finding most records for $4-$10 a piece. For being a smaller place, they have a lot more variety than you'd think! Relatively organized as well, which I know can be hard to maintain in places where people are constantly moving things around. I'll always go back to Soundsations!

Soundsations has always been there for the community. I think the owners name is Pete and he has always been the kindest and most generous host. Their prices have always remained just right even with the big record boom years back. I owe my love for music to this store. Was sad to see them move locations when I came back but then realized the new location is much better. Thank you for constantly stocking your used selection with fresh records.

I always passed by this place and never stopped by. Finally made the stop today and so glad I did! I can't wait to be back. I found so many great finds and at such an affordable price! Not just that but everything was so well organized.

Great record store. Above average used and new selection for the size of the store. Decent prices. Cool staff.

I just sold my records to Pete. He was a very friendly helpful guy and I think he was fair in the price he paid me too thanks

Wow! What a great shop! I wish I had known of it much earlier.Their selection is great and buying USED CD's is the way to go! Love the place! :D