Dealer Spotlight: Skylabs Audio, West Des Moines, Iowa
Kevin Moll used to spend his weekends digging through garage sales and estate sales for other people's stereos. Now people driving through Iowa for a wedding or a graduation take a detour just to see his shop.
He opened Skylabs Audio in 2016 in Valley Junction, West Des Moines, after working as a musician, a recording engineer, and a home theater installer. The shop restores vintage gear and sells new hi-fi right next to it. Then Kevin pointed a camera at the workbench. Every week he films the kind of thing he'd explain to a customer anyway, like how to service an old receiver or what your stereo is actually worth. The channel now has more than 200,000 subscribers, and a lot of those viewers end up in the store.
Skylabs has been a Wharfedale dealer since 2024. We asked Kevin about the shop, the channel, and why no one can tell you what a stereo will sound like to you. Here he is, in his own words.
The channel, briefly
Skylabs publishes a new YouTube video every week, covering everything from servicing vintage receivers and valuing old equipment to the stereos that changed Kevin's life. Each episode is also available as a podcast.
In Kevin's words
What was the moment you decided to open Skylabs, and what were you doing before that?
Before Skylabs, I was a Control4 and home theater installer. On the side, I was always at garage sales and estate sales buying stereo equipment and records. It's pretty much all I did in my spare time anyway. At some point I realized I could turn that into a living: buy the gear, do the maintenance, and sell it to people who'd appreciate it.
What did the shop look like in year one compared with today?
Honestly, I cringe and laugh when I look at photos from year one. I had absolutely no business being open. I barely had any inventory. I imagine my friends and the businesses around me thought I was crazy and gave me six months before I closed shop. I have the photos to prove it. Today we have new and used gear packed in like we are master Tetris players. We should have moved the store to a bigger location a few years ago, but we love the shop's vibe and location too much to make that change.
What inspired you to start a YouTube channel?
I'm a visual learner, and because of that, I love YouTube. For the last 15 or 20 years, whenever I had a problem with my car, furnace or stereo, I'd go to YouTube and watch a video on how to fix it. When I first opened, videos on fixing a dryer were everywhere, but videos on vintage stereo equipment weren't. I could see interest in vintage growing, and I knew there was a huge gap in content. I thought, "I've got access to this equipment. Maybe other people would want to see it and learn about it." That's pretty much it.
How has YouTube changed who walks through the door at Skylabs?
Drastically, especially in the summer. From May to October, I'd say about 75% of the people who stop by tell us they're driving through the state for a wedding or graduation and took a small detour to see the shop. In the winter, it shifts to almost all local customers doing holiday shopping. It's a great balance.
How often do customers who come in looking for vintage gear end up considering something new, or vice versa?
This one is lopsided. Far more people come in looking for vintage and buy new than the other way around. We don't hide the downsides of vintage from our customers, even though there's a better margin in it. If someone is traveling through, we're quick to point out the benefits of a warranty and a shippable box if there's ever an issue. And selling a first-time turntable buyer a complex, 40-year-old turntable probably isn't a good fit.
What made Wharfedale make sense for Skylabs?
We love Wharfedale here. To me, it's the perfect product for Skylabs. A lot of our customers are nostalgic. They don't want to change what they know and remember, and that's what makes a speaker fun and exciting to own. The Wharfedale line feels familiar, and the sound quality and craftsmanship make it an obvious choice.
Which Wharfedale models have gotten the strongest reaction in the store so far, and why?
No question: the Lintons and Super Lintons. They scream 1970s big-box speaker. The typical Linton buyer walks in hoping to find a speaker with that '70s vibe, and after a few songs, the deal is done. They sell themselves.
What do you wish more people understood about buying a stereo?
There are no endgame pieces, and no one can tell you what's best or what a piece is going to sound like to you. Those are the worst questions. I wish we could answer them, because I know people just want a nudge in the right direction. But I despise using clichéd audio descriptors like I'm describing a bottle of wine. You have to hear it for yourself. That's the law of stereo equipment, at least for me. I wish we could listen to audio clips of every phono cartridge ever made before deciding, but that's just not how this game is played. And honestly, the hobby would be boring if it were.
Before you go
Desert-island album:
Brutal question. I'd get sick of any album after a year. Some of my favorites I'll never need to hear again, because I can almost play them note for note in my head. For the sake of fun? Physical Graffiti. In a perfect world, though, I'd find a really good compilation with a variety of genres, or a soundtrack like Forrest Gump that covers a wide range.
Gear I'd never sell and best deal ever (they're the same thing):
A 1977 Sansui AU-20000 integrated amp. It's incredible: the look, the sound, and build quality as good as it gets for the era. About 16 years ago, I got lucky. Back then, you had to pay for a third-party Craigslist app to alert you when an item you wanted popped up. One night I got an alert that an AU-20000 was listed 10 minutes from my house. I called right away, and the guy said, "I literally just clicked the post button. How did you call so fast?" Fifteen minutes later, I walked out of his garage with a pristine AU-20000. He was happy that I didn't haggle and paid his asking price: $40.
Watch and visit
The best way to get a feel for Skylabs is to watch Kevin at work: youtube.com/@skylabsaudio
Skylabs is at 123 5th Street in West Des Moines, open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. You can also shop online at skylabsaudio.com.
If you're passing through West Des Moines, stop in and hear the Lintons and several other Wharfedale models for yourself. Kevin would probably tell you that's the point.