You weren't singled out for a rip off, audio repair is expensive. From first hand experience, I know it takes a lot of time to take things apart to replace a defective component and an untold amount of time to figure out the problem without a schematic or a working copy. On the other hand, I know of places that charge around a hundred dollars to tell you what's wrong. Couple that with another 14 hours to do the work, I would be suspicious. You can't tell me it takes hours to find and repair the problem if you charge an hour's labor minimum to find the problem. That tells me you're experienced enough -- and have the right bench equipment -- to zero in on the problem rather efficiently. Which is probably why they gave you a discount -- you were asking questions in the right direction.
Then again, it takes a mechanic hours to take apart the front end of a car just to change an $80 timing belt, so when you get the bill for $1500 you know it is the labor to get to it that bites you. Same with audio repair.
