[Report] Audio Mania - Connecting 100 VIPs... The Unprecedented Reason Behind the Department Store's 'Audio Show'

High-End Audio, a New Luxury Category
"My Own Taste to Enjoy at Home"
Public Interest Rises Beyond Enthusiasts Since COVID-19

Lotte Department Store Hosts Audio Show at Main Branch Until Next Month 3
Turning Department Store into Audio Enthusiast Hub
Introducing New Category for VIPs "Will Be Regularized"

"70 million KRW spent on speaker and amplifier setup, the sound is definitely different."

On the afternoon of the 24th, at the event hall on the 9th floor of Lotte Department Store's main branch. Visitors of various age groups, including male office workers who are rarely seen on weekday afternoons at department stores, gathered here. This is the venue for 'The Sounds,' a high-end audio show held for the first time at a department store by Lotte Department Store. Usually showcasing fashion and living event products, this space has now transformed into an audio show venue exhibiting 22 high-end audio brands such as Bowers & Wilkins, Tannoy, McIntosh, Sonus Faber, and more.

Visitors at the Lotte Department Store Main Branch High-End Audio Show 'The Sounds' are touring the showroom.
Photo by Kim Yuri.

The 'Westminster Royal GR' by Tannoy, known as the 'dream audio,' displayed its majestic presence and emitted sound, drawing continuous admiration from visitors. Visitors carefully checked not only the sound but also the appearance when installed in an actual home at each booth, which was designed as a 'mini living room centered around audio.' At four specially installed listening rooms for this event, some visitors were seen quietly focusing on enjoying music and checking the sound. There was also an 'LP Record Zone' for analog record enthusiasts, which attracted visitors' interest. Yoon Hyun-cheol, team leader of the Electronic Devices Team at Lotte Department Store, who was met on-site, said, "We prepared this event to lower the barrier to high-end audio, introduce it to the general public, and expand its base."

High-end audio, which pursues ultra-high sound quality close to the original sound, has been consumed mainly by a small group of enthusiasts due to its high price and limited accessibility. However, with the increase in affluent buyers and the spread of COVID-19, the atmosphere has changed. The demand for 'my own unique taste different from others' and 'luxurious tastes enjoyed at home' has increased, and high-end audio meets these demands, leading to a steady increase in customer numbers. Since the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, the audio sales at Lotte Department Store's main branch have grown at an average annual rate of 30% over the past three years.

Tannoy 'Westminster Royal GR' speakers and McIntosh amplifiers are displayed in the showroom at Lotte Department Store Main Branch's high-end audio show 'The Sounds'
[Photo by Yuri Kim].

Lotte Department Store took note of this. When high-end audio consumers were limited, they had to visit flagship stores in Gangnam, Yongsan shopping districts, or attend audio exhibitions held twice a year, focusing on the number of participating companies and scale. However, after COVID-19, high-end audio established itself as a 'new luxury category,' confirming the possibility that a 'department store audio show' would attract attention. By gathering major brands in a department store with high accessibility for general customers and holding the event for two weeks?longer than the usual three-day audio shows?customers can thoroughly examine and consider their purchases. The core goal is to introduce new high-end product lines to department store VVIPs and provide a new audiovisual experience that translates into sales. In fact, after Bowers & Wilkins opened a store at the main branch in October last year, not only main branch but also regional VIPs visited and purchased the D4 Signature line priced between 10 million and 50 million KRW.

Another goal of this audio show is to incorporate affluent audio enthusiasts, who were relatively distant from department stores, into the department store customer base. This event showcases products through luxurious showroom spaces. Six showrooms are decorated like actual living rooms, reflecting each brand's audio personality with interior design, furniture, and accessories, to recreate the feeling of listening in a real living room, while also encouraging linked purchases of compatible lifestyle products. To this end, ten imported lifestyle brands such as Fritz Hansen and ErgoSystem participated in the showroom production, presenting premium chairs, sofas, carpets, and more.

Sonus Faber products and others are displayed in the showroom of Lotte Department Store Main Branch's high-end audio show 'The Sounds'
[Photo by Yuri Kim].

The products introduced by Lotte Department Store at this event range from 2 million KRW to 100 million KRW, totaling about 100 items. On-site, visitors can directly listen to the sound of Bowers & Wilkins' '801 Signature,' the UK's top high-fidelity audio brand that even captivated The Beatles, and Sonus Faber's 'Amati G5,' representing Italy. Fine Audio's 'F1-8S' and Simaudio's 40th anniversary models '680D,' '600I V2,' and Musical Fidelity's 7th anniversary model 'A1' were unveiled for the first time in Korea through this audio show.

Lotte Department Store plans to regularize the audio show at the main branch and expand it to the Jamsil branch. The main branch completed the largest high-end audio store in a department store by introducing Bang & Olufsen in 2014, followed by Bose, ODE, and Bowers & Wilkins. This event, held until the 3rd of next month, is taking place simultaneously not only at the 9th-floor event hall but also at the 8th-floor audio store. Through regularizing the event, Lotte Department Store plans a two-track strategy to attract audio enthusiasts to the department store and continuously introduce the high-end audio category to department store VIPs. Team leader Yoon said, "We will establish Lotte Department Store as the 'number one place for high-end audio' for customers seeking excellent sound."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.