Vinylbutiken first opened its doors in 1999, with vinyl records and turntables as its main attractions. Its enterprising founder, Bengt, always had a feeling that vinyl records, which many had written off, would one day make a comeback. “And who turned out to be right?” he asks rhetorically.

As a musician and drummer who first took to the stage at the age of 14, Bengt recognised how effectively vinyl could convey the emotion of music compared with CDs. He made his first studio recordings at the age of 16 and has since developed a deep understanding of how music should sound, shaped by countless live performances, studio sessions and tours with around thirty different bands. In fact, it was during a few years playing with a band in New York in the 1990s that the idea of opening a hi-fi shop was first born.

Over time, a passion for authentic sound reproduction develops into genuine expertise. Bengt knows how to put together hi-fi systems that offer exceptional sound quality and excellent value for money. He readily admits that the high-end equipment he sells today sounds absolutely outstanding, but the sheer musical enjoyment offered by more modest systems with carefully matched components should certainly not be underestimated!

Bengt believes he has spent more time around real musical instruments than most people in the hi-fi industry: “My memories of how instruments sound are probably the reason why people feel I’m so good at putting together hi-fi systems that reproduce music so naturally.” It’s not about the specifications on a product sheet, but about genuine human perception and the ability to recognise the sound of real music.

So why not discuss your hi-fi needs and buy your equipment from a musician? Bengt spends much of his time in Vinylbutiken’s demonstration room or talking to customers over the phone. There are far too many hi-fi systems out there featuring equipment from prestigious brands, yet somehow the overall sound falls short of what the individual components promise…

Looking ahead, the same philosophy will continue to guide the business. Rather than offering a vast, supermarket-style selection of equipment, Bengt will continue to carefully listen to and select high-quality products, some of which may be unfamiliar to the wider public. What these products share – with the possible exception of the most basic entry-level models – is something Bengt values highly: the equipment must not only sound exceptionally good, but also have a character of its own.

Read more about Vinylbutiken’s customer reviews here.

/Erik for Vinylbutiken