Inverness is the capital of the Scottish Highlands, located quite far north, right where the Caledonian Canal meets the North Sea. And let’s not forget: this is where Loch Ness begins, the world-famous lake with its legendary monster.
The northernmost “city” in the United Kingdom has also, for the past two years, been home to the northernmost hi-fi shop on the island. Graeme Dolier has been running his “Highland Hi Fi” here since 2023. The small storefront is just a stone’s throw from the well-used pedestrian bridge (Greig Street Bridge) over the River Ness.
I meet Graeme on a Tuesday morning in late summer. He has just raised the shutters on the shop window. Inside is a small showroom, modern yet rustic in design, featuring many well-known brands, including several British ones such as Naim, Arcam, and Fyne Audio. A few crates of vinyl records sit against one wall, with a shelf of CDs behind them. Here you’ll find some home audio from Ruark, there a VPI turntable. In the listening room behind it, a system is set up and ready to play.
Originally trained as a construction technician, Graeme had the idea of opening a hi-fi shop back in the early 2000s. At the time, anyone in Scotland who wanted good hi-fi typically had to travel all the way to Glasgow – just as he did. That’s several hours from Inverness, not to mention the journey from Scotland’s far north. He opened his first store in nearby Dingwall in 2015, but after water damage forced him to relocate, he found a new home. Now the music plays in the center of Inverness.
Graeme is especially proud of his collection of concert tickets – from Pink Floyd to Kim Wilde to David Bowie, it’s all there. “I’ve been to thousands of concerts. Live music is my thing,” says the athletic-looking Scot. “I was fascinated by my own hi-fi experience. I think I was one of the first people to have a hi-fi streamer. My first turntable actually came later – I grew up with CDs. I started contacting all the companies because I wanted to show people in northern Scotland the new possibilities of hi-fi. I didn’t know anyone here who was streaming at the time. My thinking was: there must be other people in northern Scotland who love music as much as I do.”
Looking around the modest space, everything reflects Graeme’s passion – for reproducing music properly, in the right environment. A rack of current Arcam components stands right by the entrance – his entry-level range. “I might not have a huge number of entry-level options. I have a streamer here for £600. I know that’s still a lot of money for younger people, but I think it’s within reach these days. I constantly watch trends in the scene. When Wiim came out, I thought, okay, that’s interesting, and I worked to get products like that into the store quickly. I have a lot of customers in the entry-level range, from Pro-Ject up to the new Arcam series. There are certainly cheaper options out there, but I don’t like the way they sound.”
Graeme Dolier also offers plenty above that level, including brands like Naim, VPI, McIntosh, and Moon. “By the way, I still sell quite a few CD players,” Graeme says as we talk about the records in his shop. Inverness actually still has a fairly large record store, with more vinyl selection than most stores in major German cities – but that’s just a side note if you’re planning to discover more than whisky and Nessie on your next trip to Scotland.
As mentioned, CDs are still very much alive in Inverness. “That surprises everyone, but I regularly sell CD players – not two or three a week, but consistently. I sold one just last week.” Overall, he says, sales of turntables and digital sources are about even. And since I have the chance to speak with an expert in the UK, I ask how he views the idea of “British hi-fi.” Is there such a thing?
“I think there used to be a ‘British hi-fi sound,’ but that’s not really the case anymore. Even with Naim, things have changed compared to what their amplifiers were like in the ’80s. Naim, Linn, and others definitely had a signature sound, but I don’t think that’s true today. The UK isn’t all that British anymore.” (laughs)
Graeme observes that his customers now choose more based on a specific sound rather than a particular brand or country of origin. “I always say: don’t look at the logo – just listen.” People are also browsing online and know that hi-fi isn’t just made in the UK anymore. In his view, they’ve become more open to other manufacturers, while still trusting his selection.
Outside the shop stands a red, round postbox. It has been there for decades, connecting people. And in a way, that’s what Graeme has created with Highland Hi Fi – a place where people can connect over music, their passion, and the good moments in life. It’s nice to know that something like this exists even this far north – in the northernmost hi-fi shop in Great Britain.
Highland Hi Fi LTD
Graeme Dolier
2 Greig Street
Inverness
IV3 5PT
Scotland
Phone: +44 1463 278517, Mobile: +44 7900502234
Email: goodmusic@highlandhifi.co.uk
Opening Hours: Closed Sunday and Monday, Tuesday by appointment, Wednesday to Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM