Discovering the Lyon store with Philippe

Located on the banks of the Rhône, at 1 place Louis Chazette, the Son-Vidéo.com store in Lyon has recently undergone a facelift. We caught up with Philippe, the store manager, to find out more about the refurbishment, the specific features of the Lyon store, and his personal journey and experiences as an enthusiast.

The store recently underwent a major renovation. What were the main improvements?

What a pleasure to have a tool such as our store, refurbished! It was a necessary update, but it took some time to complete. This meant that we weren’t as close to our customers as we would have liked during the renovation. But the project is finished, and we’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback, not least thanks to our distinctly separate areas: TV room, cinema room, vinyl space, portable audio space, an active speakers/mini-systems room and, the icing on the cake, a magnificent auditorium! These new spaces offer our customers total immersion for all their projects.

With the arrival of the Leica projector and the new cinema room in the store, do you see more image and film enthusiasts than before?

Before the renovations, we noticed a particular enthusiasm for home theater. Even though hi-fi is still very important, the cinema room gives us a solid basis with concrete examples. There are a lot of rules when it comes to projection, and it can seem complex. We’re here to explain, advise and guide you. By the way, the Leica Cine 1 ultra-short-throw projector is a real gem!

The Lyon Son-Vidéo.com store was the first to open outside the Paris region. Can you tell us what customers think of our brand in Lyon?

Before discovering our store, many customers from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region had already visited Son-Vidéo.com. Funnily enough, customers often visit the store like a museum to discover the “virtual” devices seen on the website. We also represent a strong connection between the virtual web and the real world… Which is a real strength!

What are your team members’ specialities?

Benjamin, the longest-standing member of our store, has a strong background in home theater, gaming and multi-room. William is passionate about headphones, audio DACs and DAPs. Of course, that’s without counting hi-fi, a field that the three of us remain passionate about. We’re always looking for new amplifiers, speakers, turntables and streaming solutions.

Which music/film experience sparked your passion, and how has it influenced your career?

My grandparents bought me an electronic organ for Christmas when I was 3, and my first vinyl single was the Indiana Jones soundtrack, bought with my pocket money in 1981. Naturally, my career was quickly shaped by my love of sound, but also by my passion for cinema. The 80s were a great time for movies!

Can you tell us about your career in the hi-fi and home theater industry?

Sound and picture have always been very important to me, ever since I was a child. I studied advertising design, so I’m still very meticulous about the quality of our screens in general… but I quickly entered the world of the record industry, doing many jobs in the 90s… For example, I was an artistic director for Virgin France, in the electronic music division. Working in recording studios, particularly in Belgium, marked my life as an artist. Those were exciting years!

What was the most exciting listening experience you’ve ever had?

There are often exciting listening sessions in our Lyon store, and I invite all readers to come and visit us to discover the emotion that a tube amp is capable of conveying on a pair of speakers in our auditorium… This wonder can also be experienced when watching film clips on one of our XXL screens. A memory can spring up at any moment and bring back distant emotions, sometimes even bringing a tear your eye… Magic!

Can you give us an example of a customer who was deeply moved by a demo in the store?

We provide advice, and get closely involved in projects… We often have access to plans of houses/apartments being built, but also to photos of our customers’ various living rooms and living areas. It’s very satisfying when we see the emotion of a customer who can’t wait to welcome brand-new equipment into their home. It’s hard to pick just one, because every project is a new adventure!

How do you listen to music at home? Projector or TV?

Yeah! (laughs) To cut a long story short, I have a QD OLED TV for its 90% BT 2020 color space coverage, a Denon 4700 AV receiver and a full set of Sonus Faber Lumina III speakers. For hi-fi, a tube amp of course… A Cayin with KT 88 tubes. I often listen to music during the week with my AV receiver in Dolby Atmos thanks to my Apple TV, and at the weekend, I enjoy true stereo quality with the Cayin. Music is a part of all our lives… It’s obviously a very important part of mine (smiles).

What’s the most innovative product or technology you’ve seen come onto the market recently?

With the dematerialization of music in the early 2000s, it took us almost 20 years to enjoy it (almost) perfectly thanks to multimedia players, where most of our favorite tracks are played in 24 bits… But I’ve also noticed a very important advance in the image field, with the arrival of QD OLED for incredible quality. I never had anything to complain about with my TV until this technological evolution. How exciting it is to be a technophile in this day and age.

Can you tell us about a particular piece of equipment or brand you’re particularly enthusiastic about?

For me, Sonus Faber is an exceptional speaker brand. A brand with more than 40 years’ experience, it equips the famous Pagani, Maserati and Lamborghini cars. As craftsmen, they pay particular attention to the finish and quality of their cabinets. As for audio, these are the only speakers that (in my opinion) reproduce a unique sound with the two very important criteria of naturalness and liveliness. What’s more, their entry-level Lumina range is quite affordable… A must-see, if you feel like it!

Do you like video games? If so, can you tell us about the importance of image and sound quality in gaming?

Gaming is at the crossroads of all influences. Cinema, music and (above all) technology… That’s why, in addition to my PS5, I’ve just acquired a gaming PC equipped with an NVidia RTX MSI 4090 graphics card. When it comes to image quality, I like to fine-tune my TV (for hours on end), even the white points, to make sure I’m gaming in optimum conditions. The HDMI cable that connects your machines is of crucial importance, and makes all the difference. If, by chance, you’re the proud owner of a mains conditioner, you’re in for a real treat! For audio, I use the one on my AVR and the immersion is total… It’s true that I’m very lucky to be able to indulge my other passion in such conditions.

How do you advise people looking to buy their first audio or home theater system?

Whatever the field, two things are very important: the need and/or size of the room, and the budget. Based on these elements, we can explore options and provide the best advice for this first investment. For my part, I always recommend opting for an upgradeable system. The equipment you invest in should be able to accompany you for as long as possible, and should therefore be future-proof.

What is behind the reputation of Son-Video.com stores?

To put it simply, I was the assistant manager at the Fnac store in Lyon Part-Dieu station, and naturally my passion led me to Son-Vidéo.com where I became a customer, long before joining the teams. Mass-market retailers no longer offer a wide range of hi-fi and home theater products. The passion that drove earlier salespeople has given way to others, specializing in forced sales. With Son-Vidéo.com’s love of hi-fi and home theater, and the public’s growing interest in entertainment, we’re in a prime position to showcase our expertise.

Visit Son-Vidéo.com in Lyon, at 1 place Louis Chazette, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm.