Sound Exchange

My 2^nd favorite record store (I work at my 1^st favorite :)) in Houston!
They are not your run of the mill record store. You will not find your Taylor Swifts or whatever hot new thing is out now here. You will however come across plenty of awesome and reasonably priced gems though!
I’m having a hard time figuring out why there’s so many 1 and 2 star reviews for Sound Exchange, but my guess is that those are from people who don’t frequent record stores. Yes the music is different, yes the people that work here are quiet (but so are most people that work at these types of establishments), and yes it is small, and all those things are just fine! If you want an «authentic» record shop experience, this is a place to check out!

Fast, fair, friendly. Quaint old house turned into a business. Full of interesting memorabilia. Owned by the son of music teachers. Park around back. The front lot has room for 3 cars at the most, and it is much safer and easier to exit from the back parking lot.

Great record store!!! Kurt and Kevin are as good as it gets!!!
Spend money at cool places!!!

A very boring selection. Got the typical metal, hip hop and ‘indie’ tags. The small psy area was neglected. You will not find disco/​boogie or any other dance styles.

Cute little house with music in it – vinyl discs, off-​topic CDs, cozy house, and with an owner that doesn’t speak at all. He just smacks really loud when he eats. The music he has, is limited and off-​topic from artists I’ve never heard of.

I was wanting to get some classic rock cd’s to jam with my system, search around on Unilocal and found this place. So, my sister and I ventured out on a quest to Houston’s record shops. First on our list was Sound Exchange, upon arriving we noticed this place was a house turned into vinyl and cd shop. The front has very minimum parking (2 vehicles max) and the back had a little more parking. So, I was excited to find what the other Unilocalers were hyped about. We walked in– the large wooden squeaked as the wooden floor made a crackling sound on each step. We was approached by the owner and I spoke– saying «Hi». The owner ignored me like we wasn’t even there and stared at us as he ate his sandwich. Crunchy loud as if the lettuce or food was made extra crispy, that’s all I heard and the psychedelic music calmly playing in the background. The selection of the cd’s were small, it looked like were used and repackaged. Sound Exchange had a no Bad Company or Fleetwood Mac, but had Pink Floyd and lots of it. But I was wanting to get all the cd’s at once, as for the owner he is quiet and ignored our presence. The store does not have a wide selection in CD’s for classic rock, but great for punk, metal, and indie.

Can’t recommend this place enough. It’s been a Houston staple for years. Tons of great metal, punk and everything else. Also can usually order anything I can’t find. They also fix turntables. It’s fair prices and my table came back like brand new!

I can’t believe I have not reviewed Sound Exchange. I love this creeky old store. They might not have as big of a selection as say Cactus or Heights Vinyl, but they make up for it in quality. Every time I come in here, and browse through the bins, I always find awesome gems. The used vinyl quality itself is as good as it gets. No scratches, and almost all basically ready to play with minimal to no cleaning needed. The overall selection is incredibly well curated. Anything from used CD’s, local artists, Metal, or that rare Coltrane or Bobby Blue Bland record… King Crimson… yes please. Prices are reasonable, and the people that work here are really friendly and knowledgeable. Along with turntables and equipment for sale. Anything to get you started, or to fix that old turntable you have had sitting around forever. They will help you get what you need. There is a reason they have been open for about 30 years. Along with Vinyl Edge, probably the best used record store in Houston.

While Sound Exchange’s inventory may be relatively small, the quality is hard to beat. They’ve got a great selection of local artists as well as a well-​curated collection of indie, punk, and metal. (I can’t speak for the used rock section as I rarely am drawn to those records) Their prices are consistently some of the best deals in town and competitively matched with Amazon and Discogs sellers. If you’re looking for music that goes beyond the more mainstream/​beginner indie found at your average record store, Sound Exchange is the perfect place.

Excellent selection of LP’s and 45/​7″ records, same guys have been here since I was a teenager in the 90’s — still playing cool stuff. Still have the impossible to find LP’s you’ve looked for years for, example of that being a quality LP of ziggy stardust for $ 15 — yeah I’ll take that thanks. Good people, good selection, timeless store. Bless them for being there.

This was my first time going into a record store and I’m happy this was my first one. The gentleman that own the shop, Kevin and Kurt, are remarkably nice men. They are great at offering recommendations and they make sure you enjoy yourself while you are in the store. They allow you to comfortably browse without hassling you to buy something or trying to sale you. They had so many amazing records that I haven’t seen in forever. I can see why people spend so many hours in this place. I will definitely be showing up there again.

One of the handful of sweet record stores in the city, Sound Exchange is really one of my favorites. Though relatively small, their inventory has a nice mixture of classic, semi-​old, used, and new records so regardless of what category you fit into, you’ll have something to look at here. I really like their used and new sections and I”ve even found some great deals on local records here as well. Some of my favorite used gems have been found here and the employees are both knowledgeable and friendly. Most importantly, they don’t bug you or constantly ask if you need anything.
Sound Exchange is known for being really open to carrying local acts music (including my own) and welcome all local albums regardless of how big the artist is. I was told about this place by a friend and have really enjoyed every trip I’ve made, even the ones where I leave without buying something. If you’re looking for something indie or even obscure, you might start here because you never know what goodies lie in the bins of this funky old house.

This place has gotten considerably worse the past few years. It used to be the go-​to spot. But the prices have gotten higher, while the selection has gotten much smaller and not as quality. C+

I travel 5 weeks a year shopping for records, nationwide.
this place has interesting stuff. I am not endlessly flipping thru mainstream garbage. I always find something small, diy, rare-​ish… unique. perhaps the weirdo locals prefer selling to SE? I dunno. anyway, try it out, support it, seems very mom n pop. see you in 2013!

This is definitely a place you want to visit if you’re a music lover with an ear for the underground. Not only is the business a Houston institution for punk and metal releases, the physical building adds flavor to what could otherwise be a boring, sterile retail environment. Disclaimer: Since I am a metal fan, this review is somewhat skewed towards that.
Firstly I should say that I am happy there is a marquee place where Houston metal bands can be proud to sell their material, and a business that is happy to have it. Sound Exchange also does their part for the local music community by actually hosting bands as well.
While their musical selection is superb, the only thing that stops me from giving them a full five stars (I’m actually wishing I could do 4.5) is the small inventory. I think this store could do well with a metal section twice the size of what is there now. Also, if metal on vinyl is important to you, this is not the best place to be for that. The selection is even smaller. Even then, there are gems here.
As far as the competition goes, you’ll find that this place sells many less commercially popular items than Soundwaves and Cactus Music. This place’s inventory selection feels more like Vinal Edge to me. However, the pricing here for metal albums usually beats the aforementioned as well.

To be honest, I really wish I could like this place. I recently purchased a turntable and I am constantly searching for quality vinyl records. The prices at Sound Exchange are rather high for pre-​owned vinyl. There is a bargain section in the back of the store, but the majority of the records are badly scratched or damaged. From my personal experience, the staff was not particularly friendly or helpful. You’d probably be better off making a trip to Traders Village, Half Price Books, or Cactus Music for your vinyl purchases.

This shop is packed with musical hidden jewels. I especially like the back room with a collection of off the wall vinyl and hodge-​podge of parts for your players and let’s not forget the «Metal» collection.

I love this place! out of the few independent record stores in the loop, this one is the best. they have the best prices, selection, and knowledge of music. They also sell and repair turntables, and i think they sell needles for record players.

A Houston treasure! An independent record store that also repairs/​sells used turntables. It carries new and used vinyl, CD’s, zines etc. Although it does not carry every CD/​record out there (although the can probably order it for you), it carries a great selection of music. I enjoy the fact that I can go record shopping without being totally overwhelmed by titles and I always find plenty of records I want to buy. A great supporter of local music and musicians.

Sound Exchange is a Houston staple for independent music. They have been supporting our local music scene since God knows when. I’ve got tons of high-​school memories discovering local talent here — if not just shopping and seeing all the cute indie rocker boys of yore…
If you are looking for something old or new, stop on in and talk to Kevin, Kurt or even Baby Beau and they can recommend you a disc (better yet, an LP). Love me some SoundEx…