Sound Exchange

Sound Exchange is packed to the gills with music, books, and memorabilia that I love. It’s also a bit of a hoarder’s paradise. In short, it’s my dream CD/​record store.
It’s a bit of a schlep for me to get here since I don’t often go to 23. However, it’s worth the trip to the little strip mall where Sound Exchange is found. Tip: Don’t follow GPS getting here. The first time I went Sound Exchange, Google Maps took me all around the place just to turn into the shopping plaza lot. I don’t know how many times my GPS was barking at me to «Make a left onto Packanack Road.» (I hate her sometimes)
If you are claustrophobic, be prepared. Sound Exchange is a single-​level space that is deep and narrow and has walls that are covered from floor to ceiling. Shelves line the walls and there is one row of shelves in the middle of the store. The aisles/​paths that circle the middle shelves are pretty narrow; so going around someone in the shop definitely requires some maneuvering.
If you’ve made it this far, then you’re in store for a good amount of digging because there are a lot of treasures to find here. Also, make sure to look up from the CD and vinyl stacks, check out their collection of music and pop-​culture toys/​collectibles on the right wall, and books and DVDs on the left wall. There are also tees and posters toward the back of the store (with some hard to find band logos and designs).
Price-​wise, I think they are fair. I don’t feel ripped off buying something there, but I also wouldn’t say I’ve found a fantastic deal. Fair. Overall, Sound Exchange is a whole load of awesome!

Kind of a shitshow, but somewhat worthwhile. It’s cramped, as in crawl on the floor, stacks falling around you cramped. Not a destination for the elderly or those with back problems. The only real plus here is the blanket $ 7-​$ 8 on all used records. I pulled and put back NM Lou Reed Street Hassle and NM Bob Marley Kaya, originals these days must go for $ 15-​$ 20 in city record stores. $ 7 each is pretty solid, that doesn’t happen much in 2015. Maybe the ROI wasn’t good enough for the eBay Power Seller grimlock twins scouring the floor alongside me, they didn’t walk out with anything either.

The compact disc they sold me was badly scratched and they didn’t want to exchange it. The owner has a surly attitude. I asked him a question and he guessed the answer instead of getting up to look for something.

I dig this store.
As a record or better yet. a music guy. You always have to dig. This place is a place to dig through.
It’s literally over flowing like the music hoarders paradise.
You will always find something to go home and throw on the turntable. Drew might not find that pearl jam record. But I always find me some metal, punk or rock extravaganza.
I always walk out with something and I think the prices are great.

This is a pretty cool little store. It’s tucked away in a strip mall. They have a lot packed into The store. They have a Huge selection of compact discs. they are packed in tight on the bin and it’s a little hard to browse. But they have everything and anything that you would want in the rock hard rock and heavy metal category. Some very hard to find releases, from heavy-​metal hard rock artists. The prices are pretty reasonable on most things. They also have a selection of DVD concerts commercially released, and bootleg. As well as a selection of VHS concerts. They have music books as well. The new CD section is In the front of the store. They do have a large vinyl selection as well. Some of it on the racks and some of it on the floor. I found some really good LPs here. They also have, in the front of the store on the left-​hand side as you come in a large case of sealed old stock cassettes. This is very cool, are such as kiss, Aerosmith, Judas Priest, def Leppard, zebra and more.
The staff has been helpful whenever I’ve been in the store, and fished out a artist for me that I was looking for in the CD section.
You’re sure to find something that you’re looking for, as well as some stuff that you’re not looking for but will really enjoy. Lots of music here that you won’t be able to find on the Internet. So I urge you to come down to the somewhat cramped, but very neat record shop.

I never had a problem with the staff in this store. Sure it’s tight, but they have everything you need. I never left angry, always satisfied. I’ll come here every time I’m looking for rare collections of music or vinyl. Just expect to put in work to find what you need! Labor of love.

I love this place!..
They have everything you’d ever look for — CDs, Vinyl and Box Sets…
And they’ll happily special order…
It’s a small shop on a highway strip mall… And yes, it’s cluttered, but that’s part of the charm… If you want big box, big label kinda place, go to Tower Records… If you want real a real Rock & Roll shop with backstage passes, leather jackets and ripped denim, this is the best place around…
Wait…Tower Records doesn’t exist anymore?!?
Maybe that’s because real music places aren’t sell-​outs…

Three stars because the shop is awesome.
I appreciate being able to rummage through CDs and Vinyl.
Would of easily given this place 5 stars but I hate to continue the trend here but the owner is not very nice.
Would barely acknowledge that I was in the shop.
Tried to complement his shop and he could give two shits!!!

Absolutely horrendous store. Impossible to look through inventory — ever see that show «Hoarders»? Ridiculous.
Vinyl is tucked inconveniently under cd racks and halfway into the aisles. Can’t walk past anyone to look through items. Not worth the effort at all.
Owner is an a-​hole. I hope this place implodes. Totally worthless. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME YOU WILL REGRET IT.

Whoa! The Sound Exchange will take you back – and set you back some as they have a lot of hard to find and never before seen items.
It’s basically one big room with every nook and cranny packed full of vinyl, cassette, poster, pins, DVD or VCR footage.
If you’re a record collector, you know just what to do. If you don’t hunt music for sport, you’re sure to be overwhelmed.

This place is a pathetic excuse for a record store. They keep fragile vinyl on the ground in the aisles and leave them jam packed in massive stacks. I found some records that I’ve been looking for there, but they all turned out to be the worst sounding «new» records I’ve ever owned. They were clearly defective and damaged from terribly improper storage. Not to mention the staff is rude and have no idea how to treat customers. I’m actually pretty shocked they are still in business. Stay away from this store because you run a very high risk of spending good money on shoddy merchandise.

Awesome record shop, small space but jam packed with great music. Especially impressed with their great selection of vinyl, do you self a favor and check them out.

I have been to sound exchange quite a few times over the years and usually never leave happy. It’s very hard to crouch and climb under the cd racks to look through the vinyl which is packed so tight you can’t even really get a good look without knocking everything over and getting a big old sigh of annoyance from the obnoxious load of an owner who always wears that same Bad Religion t-​shirt. Sorry for giving you business.

I’ve come to the Sound Exchange a handful of times over the years when visiting and while their selection of vinyl is pretty middle of the road, there’s certainly some treasure to be found if one is willing to dig. Located inside of a fairly innocuous shopping center, they seem fairly hidden. The set up of the shop brings CD’s and DVD’s front and center with the vinyl allocated to the floor below the racks — this is understandable since the potential clientele in the area most likely aren’t interested in LP’s.
The result? Records that were common fifteen years ago but aren’t now and have accumulated a high price tag from online retailers due to their rarity are sitting here in the Sound Exchange bins preserved in the shrink wrap they came in with on the week of their release along with what is most likely the exact same price tag it was given the moment it got placed in the bin. Records that one would need to spend inbetween $ 40 to $ 140 on anywhere else — you know, the ones that are holy grails and considered all but impossible to find — can be found here for 10 bucks or less.
With a fairly well stocked section of music related books, t-​shirts, pins and assorted ephemera as well as a quite large rack of Weird New Jersey back issues, the Sound Exchange stands as something of a shining anomaly in Wayne. God bless ‘em!