30+ years helping music lovers find equipment that moves them
Andrew Oliver is the owner of Audio Republic in Gateshead, where he has been helping music lovers find the right hi-fi equipment for over 30 years. A Rega Reference Dealer, Linn LP12 Klimax specialist, and Wilson Audio stockist — Andrew’s approach is always consultative, always honest, and always about the music first.
Like many people who end up in this business, it started with a school friend passing me a hi-fi magazine. I visited Laskeys on Northumberland Street in Newcastle, and that was it—I was hooked.
My first proper system was an AR Legend turntable, a Nakamichi cassette deck, AR amplifier and tuner with CD player, and Monitor Audio 352 speakers. I still remember how that system sounded, and more importantly, how it made me feel about music.
That feeling never left. After working at Steve Boxshall Audio in Cambridge and later at Lintone Audio in Gateshead, I opened the first Audio Republic in Leeds in September 2002. Twenty years later, I brought Audio Republic back to the North East, opening in Gateshead in 2022.
Audio Republic Leeds ran from September 2002 until 2022—twenty years of building relationships, setting up systems, and helping people get the most from their music. The business was sold in 2022 and now operates under a different name.
In 2022, I brought Audio Republic to Gateshead, returning to the North East where my career started. The principles haven’t changed: take time to understand what someone’s trying to achieve, match equipment to their actual room and listening habits, and make sure the setup is right before they take it home.
We’re not a high-volume retailer, and that’s deliberate. Taking time to match equipment to your actual listening environment, rather than pushing popular models, means you’re far more likely to get it right first time—or at each step of your upgrade journey.
A system that sounds exceptional in a showroom might disappoint at home—different room acoustics, different furniture, different listening positions. That’s why I’ve always offered home demonstrations. You hear the equipment in your actual room, with your furniture, at your preferred listening volume.
It’s not about selling you the most expensive option. It’s about finding what works in your space. Sometimes that means recommending a less expensive speaker that suits your room better than a flagship model that doesn’t.
This approach takes longer, and it limits how many customers I can work with at once. But it means people get systems they’re genuinely happy with, rather than equipment that looked impressive on a showroom floor but doesn’t deliver at home.
I’ve been working with the Linn LP12 since 1995. Over those years, I’ve serviced, sold, and upgraded more than 100 LP12s—from basic Valhalla models to full Klimax specifications. Audio Republic holds Linn’s highest accreditation: LP12 Klimax Retailer.
What still surprises people is the LP12’s range. An older Valhalla-spec LP12 sounds warm, rich, and ripe. The same deck upgraded to Klimax specification reveals staggering resolution and intense emotional musicality. The variety of sonic characteristics available through structured, knowledgeable upgrades is what makes the LP12 unique.
I know this because I experienced it myself. Hearing my own LP12 transformed to Klimax specification was an epiphany—the level of detail, the sense of musicians in the room, the way music connected emotionally rather than just sounding impressive. That’s what proper LP12 setup and specification can deliver.
If you own an LP12, or you’re considering one, you’re welcome to bring it in. We’ll talk through what you’re hearing now, what you’d like it to do differently, and which upgrades—if any—will get you there.
After 30+ years in this business, you develop some strong opinions. Here are mine:
**The source is still the most important part.** Your turntable, CD player, or streamer influences and limits the ultimate sound quality of your entire system. Upgrading your source will always deliver more musical improvement than speakers alone.
**Never underestimate the importance of good quality cables.** I’m not talking about exotic £10,000 speaker cables. I’m talking about properly specified, well-made interconnects and speaker cables that let your equipment perform as it should. Cheap cables are false economy.
**With cartridge setup, near is never good enough.** Stylus rake angle, tracking force, azimuth, overhang—these aren’t obsessive details, they’re the difference between a turntable that sounds okay and one that sounds extraordinary. If you’re not measuring, you’re guessing.
These aren’t fashionable opinions but they’re what three decades of listening and setting up systems have taught me.
We’re not a high-volume retailer, and that’s deliberate. Taking time to match equipment to your actual listening environment, rather than pushing popular models, means you’re far more likely to get it right first time—or at each step of your upgrade journey.
Most hi-fi retailers operate on a transactional model: you visit the showroom, hear some systems, make a purchase, and that’s the relationship. Audio Republic works differently. I want to understand what you’re trying to achieve with your system, how you listen, what music matters to you, and what your room is like.
That takes time, and it limits how many customers I can work with. But it means the people I do work with get systems that genuinely suit them, not just equipment that ticked boxes on a spec sheet or sounded impressive in a showroom.
If you’re looking for the fastest transaction or the biggest discount, we’re probably not the right fit. But if you want to work with someone who’ll take time to get it right, who’ll come to your home to hear how the system actually sounds, and who’ll be here in five years when you want to upgrade—that’s what Audio Republic does.
Audio Republic holds exclusive dealer status across the North East for many of the world’s finest hi-fi manufacturers. These aren’t casual relationships—they’re partnerships built over decades, earned through expertise, customer service, and consistent results.
Rega – Reference Dealer
Linn** – LP12 Klimax Retailer | 100+ upgrades completed
Sim Audio Moon – Moon North Dealer | 10 years partnership
Sugden Audio – 20+ years | Standard & Masterclass ranges
Chord Electronics – Ultima Range Stockist
Dynaudio – Exclusive dealer | Contour Legacy Stockist
Audio Research – Anniversary & Reference ranges
-Rogue Audio – UK’s only distributor & retailer
Neat Acoustics – Only independent stockist between Teesside & Edinburgh
Cyrus Audio- Exclusive independent dealer.
Stax Headphones and Lyra Cartridge Exclusive Independent Retailer.
Vertere Ltd. Exclusive Independent Retailer
Aurender, Cardas Audio and YG Acoustics exclusive North East Retailer.
