In a bold move away from its nascent origins in Brisbane back in 2017, where Pura Sound kicked-off its retail and distribution operations, the company has opened a new bespoke showroom. There, Australian audio enthusiasts can discover and experience a handpicked array of sought-after niche high-end audio, showcased in a spacious and acoustically tuned demonstration studio. Clearly, proprietor Robert Campbell has curated a product selection that is bound to stimulate, and indeed satiate, the appetite of any music lover worth their salt.
Purest Intent
Pura Sound’s new Melbourne HQ has been Campbell’s labour-of-love since 2025 when considerable time was spent judiciously researching a suitable location to restart his business. He chanced upon what would seem a perfect solution. A large space in a semi-commercial area in inner-city Richmond, Melbourne offered the right mix of convenient location, easy access and parking, excellent dock and goods lift entry for heavy deliveries, and a safe, secure unit within a modern complex.
It’s a light-filled building, where the tenants are isolated from each other via intelligent design, where a little over-enthused excursion with the volume control will not disturb the peace. In fact, after mid-afternoon, Pura Sound has the building almost to itself. I say crank it to 11!
So, I travelled to Melbourne in April to have a chat with Campbell, check out the new digs, and enjoy some music via the exquisite high-end audio gems on display at Pura Sound. Oh, and did I mention the classy brewery (stainless steel vats on the premises) and excellent trendy café literally across the road? Good pick Robert. Yeah, we sampled some of that too, obviously.
Robert Campbell shows Omicron Group’s ‘Powerboost’ Elettromagnetic Modulator
So, as we sat back at the studio for a quick chat, I first asked Campbell what motivated the move from Brisbane to the new location in Melbourne.
There were a few factors that came together. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to build strong relationships with a number of clients in Melbourne. While we’ve always interacted well, travelling to Queensland for demonstrations wasn’t always practical for them.
The turning point was the Melbourne hi-fi show last year. The level of interest and the number of enquiries around demonstrations was significant, and it became clear there was an opportunity to establish a proper presence here. We were then able to secure a space that allowed us to create a private listening environment, with the flexibility to present multiple systems rather than a single fixed setup. That was a key part of the move.
In the in the new showroom, how did you approach the acoustic design? What was the process like, and did you consult or commission an acoustician?
When I first secured the space, one of my long-term clients in Queensland, Phil, who is an acoustics engineer, offered his help. That was incredibly valuable. The goal was to treat the room without over-damping it. We ended up using suspended panel “blades”, which are actually based on ‘Ecofoam’ typically used in office applications. This approach allowed us to control the acoustics while maintaining flexibility. The panels can be repositioned, so the room can be configured in different ways, including effectively creating separate spaces. The result has been both effective and cost-efficient, while keeping the room sounding open and natural.
You operate as both a distributor and retailer, carrying many premium niche brands such as Alsyvox, Aries Cerat, Grandinote, Pink Faun, Sigma Acoustics, Skogrand Cables, Von Schwiekert, and many others. How do you go about selecting the brands you’d like to carry.
For me, the starting point is whether the brand genuinely offers something different. I look for real innovation in design. Many of the brands I work with are part of a newer generation of designers who are either rethinking established approaches or building on them in meaningful ways.
Ultimately, the product has to excite me. It needs to offer a level of performance or a perspective that stands apart from what has come before.
Within your portfolio of brands, are there some that, in your personal opinion, show terrific synergy and, conversely, are there ones that don’t work well together?
Yes, absolutely. I tend to gravitate towards brands that can create a complete ecosystem. For example, brands like Grandinote or Aries Cerat design everything from source to amplification to speakers. Within those ecosystems, the results can be exceptional.
However, those same ecosystems don’t necessarily integrate well with each other. For example, Aries Cerat takes a very different approach, particularly with high-output source components and lower gain amplification. That philosophy doesn’t always align with other designs. That said, there is flexibility. In some cases, customisation allows components to be adapted to work within different systems. But generally, we are very mindful of system matching.
There have been instances where compatibility was an issue. For example, with certain transformer-coupled outputs and inputs, there can be mismatches that prevent proper operation. In one recent case, a client needed to change their transport due to this type of incompatibility.
This is one of the key reasons for having a dedicated showroom. Clients can bring their own components, and we can test and ensure everything works correctly before committing to a system.
For a relatively small company like Pura Sound, how challenging is it to hold inventory, provide service and support when there’s a faulty product, accommodate trade-ins, etc?
Holding inventory and providing support are always considerations, but I wouldn’t describe them as challenges in the traditional sense. Customer service is a core focus of the business. The aim is to elevate the overall experience, not just deliver a product.
In terms of trade-ins, I tend to take a flexible approach. Rather than offering a low trade-in value, I often work with clients to sell their existing equipment on their behalf. That way, they achieve a better outcome and can move forward with their next system more comfortably. Being a smaller company allows for that level of flexibility.
Where do you see the high-end audio space heading in five years and how will Pura Sound adapt to the potentially imminent changes in the industry?
I think the market will become more focused, particularly at the ultra-high-end level. There will always be a core group of people who are deeply passionate about music and are seeking the most realistic and engaging experience possible. That isn’t going away.
At the same time, pricing is evolving rapidly, which will shape the market in different ways. For Pura Sound, the focus will remain on innovation rather than price. As long as we are working with brands that genuinely push boundaries and offer something meaningful, that’s where we’ll continue to position ourselves.
Change and Adaptation
I was keen to hear the system in-situ at the time, so, post chat, I asked Campbell to stream some tunes for me. And what a system that was…
Going from source to speakers, Campbell’s system curation was exemplary. Pink Faun 2.16 ultra streamer/server (dual configuration), Aries Cerat Kassandra digital-to-analogue converter, Aether preamplifier (three chassis) and Odysseas monoblock amplifiers driving the unique Aurora horn loudspeakers (upgraded with new bass amplifier design). Wiring from Skogrand Cables and Luna Cables while vibration control and system tuning came via a range of products from Omicron Group.
There’s no denying that the quite disparate driver technologies have been expertly balanced into a coherent, tonally harmonious ‘one’. This was in most part due to the in-built flexibility and clever engineering of the Aurora loudspeakers’ bass amplification and crossover architecture. What do I mean by “flexibility” in this context?
Well, Aries Cerat has designed a dedicated app which offers comprehensive user manipulation of the speakers’ low frequency performance. Small changes brought about very different bass characteristics which varied between bass light, bass heavy, and then bass-just-right. Of course, each room and system context would be different, and this is where this app’s adjustability features allow adaptation to just about any listening environment.
The outcome at Pura Sound? A superbly detailed and, ahem… pure sound, with a richness of spatial cues that spread wide, tall and deep. There was a sense of effortlessness and musical flow that I found quite… intoxicating. As I mentioned above, the ability to dial-in the low frequencies to users’ most critical desires meant that, after a brief tweaking, the balance between bass, midrange, and highs was like just-right-Goldilocks.
Conclusion
I hadn’t seen Robert Campbell for quite some time, as I rarely get up to Brisbane and our show catch-ups have by necessity been brief, so linking-up with him at his news digs was a great opportunity not only to reconnect but also to sample some of Pura Sound’s stunning high-end audio gear. And yes, it was certainly a treat.
I’m confident that, all things being equal, Pura Sound’s new location will open doors for the company, as the working formula embodies all the right ingredients for success. So, let’s summarise what’s on offer at Pura Sound.
At Richmond HQ, you’ll find a wisely curated selection of highly desirable premium high-end audio products available to audition in a welcoming, acoustically-tuned environment.
Add to that Robert Campbell’s deep product knowledge and steadfast commitment to a service-first ethos, plus a central location where side benefits such as great food, coffee, and boutique liquid gold are at the doorstep, and that morsel of high-end goodness becomes quite the feast.
… Edgar Kramer
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Pura Sound
91 Murphy Street
Richmond
Melbourne VIC
+61 (0) 417 183 009
https://www.purasound.com/
Gallery
Pura Sound is the Australian distributor for Alsyvox
Sigma Acoustics and Grandinote loudspeakers
Luna and Skogrand cable selection
