Apicella Auto Sound

“I got Stage-1 sound deadening along with an amp/DSP/speaker install here. Nick was very professional and helpful throughout the process and accommodated my schedule without any complaints. He also worked with me on pricing to fit what I wanted into my budget. Prices may lean slightly towards the expensive side, but you get what you pay for – exceptional quality, service, and attention to detail. I get nothing but compliments whenever I have passengers in my car now!”

“Nick at Apicella Auto Sound is the “REAL DEAL”. I met him on a car audio forum while researching options for a new system in my 2018 Accord. I Was looking for high-quality sound while retaining my factory stereo and all the factory functions that the car came with (Bluetooth, Navi, android auto, etc.) When Nick first reached out to me and offered his services I was a little skeptical because I knew nothing about him but after doing some research I found that he is highly regarded for his Installations, custom fabrications, and DSP tuning. Nick spent about 2 hours on the phone with me answering all my questions and going over what he recommended for the budget that I had. At that point, I put my faith In Nick and took the 70-mile trip from jersey to NY to drop my car off. Now that I have my car back all I can say is WOW!!!!! My car sounds awesome!!!! The sound quality and detail in the installation far exceeded my expectations. I cannot believe the sound quality that is coming from my car, especially since I wasn’t looking to break the bank with this install. I attribute this to his installation techniques and the fact that he wants to take his time and do things the right way rather than getting your car in and out of his shop as fast as possible. Nick installed front mids and tweeters, a 12″ subwoofer, 2 amplifiers and a Helix DSP. He fully sound deadened everything which means I do not have one rattle when the bass hits. If you’re in the market for an upgraded sound system do yourself a favor and contact Nick at Apicella Auto Sound. I promise You won’t be disappointed.”

“Apicella Auto Sound is a rare gem in the often shady world of car audio. Their recommendations are on point and the tuning and fabrication skills are remarkable. I highly recommend this shop for all car audio projects, large or small.”

“Nick the owner knows his stuff. More than that he’s an enthusiast, product developer, and industry leader. I could be on an enthusiast forum or a Reddit page and he’s on there helping mentor people with anything from advanced to more basic questions. Having spent a day at his shop I walked away ridiculously impressed. He identified the source of my problems where others failed, offered solutions that helped save me money over what I thought I needed, and worked overtime to make sure I left with everything done as it should be. Zero corners were cut, they truly went above and beyond. Also, he stands by his work. A few customers dropped by that day with questions or problems and were quickly dispatched with their issues happily fixed. One more thing of no small note: Nick was nominated for industry awards and was given a sudden project to complete to fulfill his eligibility. Despite this fact, he worked overtime on my car. That’s true passion and dedication. Thanks again!“

“Nick and his team are top-notch installers and understand the theory behind all the marketing hype. I don’t think you find a much better place to take care of your auto sound needs.”

“Nick at Apicella Auto Sound did an amazing job on the install and tuning of my system overhaul. I’ve been to 2 shops before Nick and never got the sound quality I was looking for. After reading thru some of his build logs on DIYMA and Facebook I decided to contact him and get the ball rolling. After a few conversations, the equipment was decided on and finalized. I made the 12-hour trip from Michigan to NY to drop my car off. When I picked it up, I could instantly tell the install was top-notch and sounded incredible!! I finally found a shop that could give the sound quality I was looking for. I couldn’t be happier with the results. I wish I would have found Apicella Auto Sound before I wasted my money at the first 2 shops. I would make the long trip again in a second with the results I got!!!“

“I was referred to Nick by Doug at MSC when I was looking to by a Helix DSP3. He sold me one, and I installed it in my car with some other pretty decent equipment. I just couldn’t get the system to sound right, so again I reached out to Nick. We talked about what the next level would look like in my car, and how he could help me get the system there. After a phone call or two I decided he was the guy that was going to bring my system up to where I wanted it to be. We decided on a budget with a hard stop $$$$ as well.

Nick kept me informed as the build progressed, and we found that we were under the budget amount, so we added the Audio Frog subs and the rest of the trunk build. I couldn’t be happier with the way the car turned out. The front stage is phenomenal, and the overall SQ is amazing as well. Thanks, Nick, for a job well done”

“Had my system tuned by Apicella. Been to a couple of other shops and to be honest was skeptical about the process. Apicella consulted with me on the phone and answered all of my questions. I went for tuning and left with a completely different sounding system. Could not believe my ears. 100% recommend these guys. Thank you Nick!!”

“Originally found Nick through his incredibly helpful posts on a car audio forum. Asked him more detailed questions on a few things and got incredibly clear and helpful answers, giving me faith and trust in him generally.

I ended up making the roughly six hour round trip drive to his shop so he could tune my DSP and it was well, well worth it. The difference in sound from when I arrived to when I left is truly indescribable. Everything is far better than I could have even imagined – staging is on point, incredibly loud and clear without any distortion, and generally just sounds incredible.”

“Extremely satisfied with the outcome. Nick took his time walking me through options without being pushy at all, explaining some audio fundamentals without any snark, and did an awesome install. I never realized tuning/install could make such a difference.”

“Nick just completed a 3 day install on my 2018 Tacoma Double Cab… I can’t begin to explain how happy I am the way everything turned out. The music comes through beautifully, its loud but clear at any volume with a huge range of dynamics that only a perfect tune could wring out of the speakers.
Nick was happy to allow me to sit in on the tuning session and let me bounce questions off of him as my tuning knowledge was extremely limited, and he answered all my questions in a way that allowed me to grasp the information…which is a level of service I provide to my clients and value a great deal.
2 hours of sonic bliss driving home, windows open, and loving every second of it. If you’re in the Tri-State area, do your ears a favor and give Nick the opportunity to transform the way you listen to music in your car. You definitely won’t regret it.
If you’re on Long Island, feel free to PM me and we can meet up so you can demo my system to get a feel for what Apicella Auto Sounds can do for you. I live centrally on the island for Nassau and Suffolk residents.

Thank You Nick!”

“I drove all the way from Dayton, Ohio to have Nick and his team work on my car. I did not leave disappointed. There aren’t many in the industry that are better than him and his fabrication skills.”

“I would give Nick 10 stars if I could. He saved my car audio system. I had initially put ~$2500 in my car audio at a reputable shop in my city (not in NY) only to have it sound worse than the stock sound that came in my lowest trim economy car. I was completely frustrated and the only “advice” I was receiving from the shop I went to previously was to spend more on better equipment if I wanted better sound. I had completely regretted spending the money and didn’t even want to listen to music in my car anymore because it was irritating to be reminded that I paid $2500 for worse sound.

Nick turned it around completely. He tuned the DSP that the other shop supposedly already tuned. It sounded like a completely different system that exceeded my expectations even though it was the same equipment. I finally understood the potential of the equipment I purchased, got a monumental improvement over the stock and felt it was completely worth the money.

Nick’s competence isn’t the only reason I wish I could give him 10 stars. The great thing about working with Nick is that he has the patience and dedication to not mind me repeatedly asking him to make little adjustments to my DSP’s turning for the purposes of tailoring it to my preferences. He worked with me till I was 100% happy and that honestly took a long time (which was really the fault of my indecisiveness and lack of prior knowledge of what exactly my preferences exactly were). Where many people might get annoyed, Nick was happy to help and never made me feel like a bother.

He was also perfect for explaining things to me as a less audio-savvy person which inspired trust and better allowed me to understand what was best for improving my sound for my taste and what I can do to make improvements in the future.

I couldn’t have asked for more as customer. My biggest regret is that I had someone else work on this besides Nick.”

“I recently picked up my car from Apicella Auto Sound and I would like to share my experience.

I contacted Nick about doing my Jeep Wrangler after another shop and I became incompatible. Ultimately, I changed my mind and decided to have my car done (2013 Mercedes Benz C250) instead. What I noticed initially about Nick was that he was very matter-of-fact about system design, installation integrity, completion of work, and CUSTOMER SERVICE. I’m hard to please, I know this, but I can be pleased.

I already had my amps and decided to do the build with them. Nick recently had some tuning experience and begged me not to use the **** DSP due to the glitchy interface and limited tuning capabilities. I relented and we settled on the **** amps. He suggested **** amps, but I’m not familiar with that brand and trusted **** more. We did, however, go with the Helix DSP.3. Through this process, Nick wasn’t hard-selling me, he was trying to design the best system I could afford. I have 3 amplifiers sitting at my house that I’m not using because of Nick’s recommendations and I’m okay with that. I bought them in the first place – it wasn’t Nick’s fault.

I was going to go with (2) **** subwoofers in a ported enclosure firing through the rear deck into the glass. Nick never balked at this and never recommended anything different and they were more than confident that he could make it look and sound great. I ultimately decided to switch to the **** subwoofers in order to have more usable trunk space. I’m glad I did this for two reasons. First, the trunk is totally usable, even for golf clubs. Second, the **** subs would have been wasted in this application. They should be installed in something where they will be used with malice of forethought. I was also worried that they would tear my sunroof assembly apart.

Through all of this, Nick was flexible yet insistent on maintaining the design intent of the system, which is sound quality first. He also helped me decide on the type of source unit that we selected (Kenwood DDX 996XR) and I am very happy with it. We considered double-DIN, a single-DIN with a digital audio player, and even an iPad Mini. I had no previous experience with Android Auto and I must say, it is really good for automotive use.

Fabrication quality and fit/finish are excellent. Seriously, I was in really good hands with them.

Sound deadening really quieted the car while driving. I guess this is a plug for ResoNix because I noticed a distinct reduction in road noise and I wasn’t really paying attention.

Nick can tune. Need I say more?

The system sounds great. The stereo separation is great, and the midbass-to-bass transition is flawless. I’m shocked by what the midbass drivers are capable of. Everything is so balanced, and the stage width is awesome. The image is really locked in and doesn’t wander. He even created a two-seat tune at my request for demoing for passengers.
Will I go to Apicella Auto Sound again? Yes.”