Eric Gould , SoundLux Audio - Miami (English Version)

Mr. Eric Gould, before you started Soundlux Audio, what was your previous experience in the world of maximum quality audio?
Since I was a teenager, I’ve always cared about listening to music well. Honestly, I walked out an audiophile bar in Tokyo many years ago after listening to music for six or seven hours and I was blown away. I left feeling more energized and focused than when I walked in. I wanted to figure out what was it about that specific experience that made me feel that way. For me – the experience of listening to music has always been emotional. I try not to over analyze or get too technical about my listening experience. In the end, music is art and our connection comes from an emotional register rather than an analytical perspective.

Fast forward many years and I wanted to create a platform where I could help people improve their listening experience. Soundlux Audio is a really cool store but our real mission is just to get people thinking about listening to music better.

One day you had the magnificent idea to create your own business, and it becomes reality in 2015 on the third floor of a historic building. All this was not by chance, correct?
Not by chance at all. I am a thoughtful and methodic person. II had the opportunity to set up a store the way I wanted with the brands I wanted to work with. I wasn’t prejudiced by being in the conventional audio industry for 25 years up until that point. I simply wanted to focus on brands that conveyed musicality and the best customer service. I wanted to provide a level of customer service that I would want to experience - and my expectations are very high. We have great sound but our focus is on customer experience and satisfaction.

Even thou your establishment offers a wide selection of digital components to fulfill a market that is asking for it, allow me to tell you that you are the proprietor of the Analog Temple of Miami.
Thanks! Getting analog done well is a process and takes work. Anyone with a turntable knows exactly what I’m talking about. However, when it’s done correctly and done well – there is nothing like it. It’s the ultimate reference.

The best in analog is better than the best in digital right now. I truly believe that. With that said – analog isn’t for every customer and I totally appreciate that perspective. Many of my clients don’t want to collect records or deal with turntables or tape decks. The convenience and ease of use of digital is tremendous and enjoyable.

Sometimes people come into our store and initially believe we have a bias towards analog because they see turntables everywhere. The reality is that we spend as much time on digital as we do on analog. It’s the reality of where we are today with high end audio.

I enjoy listening to digital source to explore new music. We have to work hard in order to deliver great digital performance since our reference is exceptional analog. Some customers come in and tell us they only want an analog source. They think digital sounds terrible. We have to educate them that what they are likely experiencing is the tremendous difference between their analog and digital source. Typically, they need to improve their digital source so that the drop off in quality between digital and analog is minimized. Getting great sounding digital source takes work. There are so many variables.

This is a good example why working with a quality retailer can be helpful. Retailers have a lot of experience and most of them are very good at helping customers build a properly balanced system. Believe me – most hi-fi retailers are passionate about what they are doing and want to share their experience and knowledge with you.

Without a doubt, your bet for the analog world is firm and decisive. The turntables, as well as the reel to reels, just to mention the sources have found their home in Wynwood.
It’s quite a home. Wynwood is a super cool neighborhood. In so many ways Soundlux Audio fits right in. On the other hand, our store is so unique and sometimes customers from around the world are a bit taken back that such a place exists in Miami. Since Miami is a popular tourist destination, we often have visitors from all over the world and many of them have eventually become clients. I intended to create a unique platform for high end audio experience for my community but it has turned into a resource for people all over the world. That has been especially rewarding.

Exclusive distributor for the OMA Monarchs. It is impossible for anyone to remain indifferent before them. They capture you and you can’t look away. But, let’s talk about these speakers and their sound.
When mentioning Oswald Mills Audio (OMA) you have to immediately invoke the company’s CEO and Founder Jonathan Weiss. Jonathan’s vision and commitment to design and uncompromising quality is simply unparalleled in high end audio. Jonathan and I met years ago and quickly hit it off. Soundlux Audio is a perfect platform to audition OMA’s full array of speakers, amplifiers and turntables. For many customers OMA is the end of the road in their long quest for the perfect system they’ve been dreaming about.

The Monarchs are very special. The vertical 15 inch woofers, baffles and horn loaded driver deliver a unique emotional experience. Like most of the OMA speakers – you can really feel them as the music is moving through you. OMA happens to build some of the best horn loaded speakers in the world and it’s not by accident. Jonathan has obsessed over this for many years and he works with some of the top engineers and designers in the audio industry in order to pull this off.

In fact, OMA just launched a new company Fleetwood Sound Company. They are making some exceptional sounding speakers based on what they have learned from OMA but at a more affordable price point. The Deville’s are exceptional and a tremendous value.

Is the market for reel to reel growing in the US? Can you find original recording on tape with ease?
Before the pandemic when there were audio shows in the US – almost every room was sporting a reel to reel tape deck. Makes sense. People are falling in love with analog for good reasons. If you like the sound of vinyl – you will love the sound of open tape. We only use refurbished tape decks from J-Corder in Washington state. Jeff at J-Cordr is simply a master of refurbishing reel to reel tape decks.

The Hi-Fi crowd is usually male. But with such an exquisite establishment, have you attracted more women than your competition?
Women love Soundlux Audio. Simply – we have great sound and men and women are visiting us expecting to experience the best in music reproduction. We also have a very comfortable and relaxed atmosphere to explore audio equipment. I think a lot of people – men and women are sometimes intimidated by hi-fi stores because their interactions with some retailers have been - let’s say - not ideal. People love visiting us, love hanging out with us and love returning to visit us regularly. I think we’re taking a different approach to this platform and we’re getting positive feedback. By the way – kids love the store too!

In Europe we can perfectly distinguish the British from the German sound. They have different concepts and the gear reflects it. So I ask you about your hispanic clients. Is there a distinction of what components are chosen that separates their sound from other clients?
Interesting question and I had to think about it. Because we’re in Miami, we get a lot of customers from Latin America. However, Miami is predominantly a Hispanic centric city. I would say that our out of town customers are extremely knowledagble about high end audio and have a lot of experience with typical brands. They haven’t seen many of the brands we carry and frankly I have a lot of fun -watching the surprise on their faces when they hear an Audio Note UK or OMA system for the first time.

We put so much emphasis on the emotional connection to music. It seems that when you focus on the feel of music rather than a technical or analytic evaluation stereotypes of preferences sort of disappear not just between sexes but ethnicity and cultures. It really reflects the universal human connection to music.

What new projects do you have for the coming years?
We’re always learning and constantly trying new things in the store. I’m always trying to simplify things rather than making them more complicated, which often occurs over time.

I think that retail and high-end retail audio will continue to experience changes and challenges over the next few years. We’re continuing to work on being a modern and successful retail platform in this environment. For us that means that the traditional retail experience has to look different. We’re much more focused on the experience and connection rather than a traditional sales focused retail platform.

A number of experts in retail consulting have visited the store to check out what we’re doing and have commented that we’re the future of what the retail experience needs to look like. I didn’t put Soundlux Audio together with such a conceived notion. I just wanted to create an environment - I’d be comfortable doing business in and I thought was best suited to help people put together great audio systems. It was ultimately very organic. For the most part we are going to continue moving forward with a focus on great sound and awesome customer experience and satisfaction.

One last thing, in their 2019 winter issue, the prestigious publication Luxury Magazine defined you as one of the best establishments in the country to buy Hi-Fi and make every client's musical dreams a reality for their home. How do you beat that?
We spend no money on marketing and advertising. We are strictly a word of mouth business. Nevertheless, we have received a great deal of positive praise. I think people are most surprised by the fact that we’ve only been in business for a little over five years. Many of the best retailers have been doing this for at least twenty years. We’re definitely the new kid on the block.

I’m not doing this for the accolades and I’m not trying to one up any of the nice comments we’ve received over the past few years. I get off on helping my clients put together the right system for their needs, installing it and watching their reaction of happiness that they have created a better musical experience for them and their loved ones.

I have many happy and appreciative customers and that brings me a lot of satisfaction. Ultimately, music is so powerful and meaningful to our lives. We often take it for granted because it’s around us all the time. I just want people to think about improving their listening experience however they are able to do it.

Thank you very much for everything Mr. Gould, and until next time.

PS: I would like to thank the entire SoundLux Audio team for their effort to make this interview possible.

Ficha Técnica

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SoundLux Audio

120 NW 25th Street, Suite 302
Miami, FL 33127
U.S.A.
Teléfono: 305 306 7249

www.soundluxaudio.com


Eric Gould (Spanish Version)