25-year record: Inside the Edinburgh hi-fi business embracing the vinyl revival and streaming

Twenty-five years is a very long time in the rapidly-changing world of audio. Back in 1999, compact discs and cassettes dominated the music consumption market, the vinyl record appeared to be in terminal decline, a minority of people were downloading tunes and the file-sharing start-up Napster had only just begun disrupting the status quo.

Fast forward to the dying days of 2024 and digital streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal now account for well over four-fifths of our music consumption in the UK, the CD has almost gone the way of the dodo, despite talk of a mini revival, and the (original) Napster is but a faded memory. And, to the delight of those who still value the physical, the 12-inch long-player is enjoying a surprise renaissance.

It’s against this backdrop of innovation and disorder that audio retailer Loud & Clear has had to develop its offering since officially opening the doors to its first Edinburgh dealership on November 5, 1999. Two store relocations and a little over 25 years on from that day and company director John Carroll is in a reflective, but optimistic mood after hosting a birthday bash for customers and clients within L&C’s home of the past seven years, at Commercial Quay, on Leith’s historic waterfront.

Some of the equipment on display in the Edinburgh outlet of audio dealer Loud & Clear, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

“I’ve been having a few conversations with customers, one of whom had all his old receipts going back to 1999,” says Carroll, who is also a director of sister hi-fi distribution business Renaissance Audio. “It was nice to see all those hand-written receipts and lovely having a conversation with him as a current customer 25 years later.”

That first capital store - Loud & Clear also operates out of Glasgow - opened on Hamilton Place in Stockbridge, in the former premises of a bike retailer where the hi-fi industry veteran obtained his two-wheeled thrills back in the day. Some years later, L&C upped sticks and headed for a new home at Bonnington Mill, on Newhaven Road, described by Carroll as a “bit of a dungeon and a hidden secret” but a larger location that allowed the business to stage live performances and art exhibitions. Those complementary activities continue to play a key role in the current Leith showroom, housed within an old whisky bond, where the firm moved to in the latter half of 2017 and which incorporates a large sales area, coffee bar, conservatory and state-of-the-art demo room. The significant six-figure sum that was directed at the Leith venture has allowed customers to audition and compare some of the finest audio products from around the world, including the likes of Moon electronics, Audiovector loudspeakers and Rega turntables. Scottish brands represented include speaker manufacturer Fyne Audio, which recently opened a new factory close to Glasgow.

Precisely one day before that maiden store opening 25 years ago, a certain Swedish furniture giant rolled up the shutters on its vast emporium on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Carroll is keen to draw a parallel between that momentous Ikea launch on November 4, 1999 and the L&C opening just 24 hours later.

“We opened up with some very similar ideas around creating a better living environment, but the big difference we had was filling people’s lives with music,” he reflects. “Hi-fi equipment is fabulous. The technology has always fascinated me from a very young age. But we always come back to the music.”

The cutting-edge demonstration room within the Leith-based Loud & Clear showroom.

Carroll notes that digital streaming and vinyl are now the two prime sources of music content for the majority of UK consumers and is adamant that the pair can coexist.

“We were pretty early adopters of streaming technology,” he says. “Computers were able to store music on hard drives but that was not music streaming as we know it now. Being able to pipe music everywhere was, at the time, just a pipe dream, yet now it is firmly embedded in the culture of civilisation.

“However, we are seeing a cycle where people are looking for that retro feel in life and the big revelation in our industry has been the resurgence of vinyl. That whole experience of dropping the needle into the groove and looking at the artwork, sitting down and it being a physical medium, means that you are engaged in the playback.

“The art of slowdown is something that people are desperately trying to get hold of. Our single biggest encouragement to people when they stream is to switch off the screen on their device and put it on the coffee table - just sit back and enjoy the music.”

Customers and staff gathering for the 25th anniversary event, which took place in early December.

The past year has seen an upturn in CD sales, albeit from a much reduced base following the format’s 1990s peak, and driven, in large part, by the spiralling cost of vinyl releases. Hundreds of millions of those little silver discs remain in circulation around the world but Carroll does not see a resurgence on the same level as the CD’s much older, and larger, physical counterpart.

“The main reason CD has stuck around is it’s a great digital format and can sound really good. It’s also really good for other parts of the world where they don’t have the infrastructure to stream music. The single biggest obstacle for streaming is the infrastructure and a reliable connection to the internet.”

As to the next 25 years of Loud & Clear Edinburgh, Carroll takes a philosophical stance.

“We couldn’t have an event on the actual 25th anniversary as I was doing an installation in California - that’s how far afield we go these days. I’m 59 years old. I’d like to be kicking around in another 25 years. We have younger enthusiastic members of staff and I think the business will still be going, serving up great music systems to customers in Edinburgh and beyond.”

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