Celebrating Women Who Love to Listen
If you’ve spent any time reading an audiophile blog, visiting forums or attending audio-focused trade shows, you probably noticed most of the people participating are, well, guys. In fact, sometimes it feels like almost entirely men. There are a few theories as to why this is the case, and we explore that a bit in this blog. But—more importantly—this Sunday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, and we thought it apt to celebrate a few of the amazing women we’ve partnered with over the past several months.
Since late-2025, we have been busy working with several creators on Instagram and TikTok. These people all have incredible spaces, impeccable taste and wonderful stories to tell. Excitingly, as part of this effort, we’ve had the opportunity to work with three fantastic women: Jula Jasnagora of SoundwavesoffWax, Eloise Preen of Eloise Preen and Kayla Oztemir of Cata.Haus. Three dynamic individuals building communities based on shared love of music, excellent design and thoughtful living.
In February we caught up with Jula Jasnagora (soundwavesoffwax), a channel focused on exploring her late father’s record collection; and Eloise Preen (eloisepreen), a design-focused channel with an effortlessly warm and vintage vibe. After interviewing Jula and Eloise, and reflecting on the feedback we received, what became abundantly clear is that high-fidelity music is for everyone. Perhaps the audio industry has been incorrectly branded as a “male” hobby. Most of us want to share our musical taste with those we love, and we also want to put products in our home that tell people a bit about who we are.
So, without further ado, here are our interviews with Jula and Eloise. Some responses are edited for length and clarity.
Jula Jasnagora - soundwavesoffwax
Q: The SoundWavesOffWax story has been told quite a bit over the past year or so. Now that you've been running the channel for quite some time, what's changed? What are some things you find people responding more to these days?
A: When I first started, I didn't realize how much it would bring to my life in a positive way. And I still feel the same amount of inspiration to connect with my fellow music lovers today. What’s changed? How I feel about my late father’s record collection has shifted; the way I think about him and how he collected music. I feel a deeper appreciation for what he's left me.
I'm inspired right now to make some more changes to the account, so I might have more to share in a month or two when there’s something exciting to say. Ultimately, I’m just happy to be able to continue this project today.
Q: There's a perception that not too many women are in the hi-fi hobby. Clearly your channel is having a big impact on the community. Why do you think there's this perception that audio is a male-dominated space?
A: There's a perception in general that the music industry is male-dominated, so it would transfer into anything happening with music. It can be really daunting to enter the gear space, even if you go into a record store it's usually just a bunch of dudes.
People ask me about gear I have, and I don't want to tell them anything because I don't want to feel judged, or that I may not know enough, or that I'm not welcome in this community. It feels like women need to know so much more to be welcomed to the space, like we need to prove ourselves. Whereas men don't because they're strangely welcomed more just for being a man.
On the other hand, it can be galvanizing for women. Because I'm a young woman and I’ve built this community, I hope other women see me and think, “I can do that too.”
Q: Do you feel that having a better-sounding system makes a meaningful impact on how you enjoy your father's record collection? Are there any records you've revisited now that you have updated speakers?
A: Having a better sound system has drastically improved my listening experience. I've had so much fun listening to records I've listened to before. I love to mix up my listening space and move around the speakers. It’s been a beautiful experience.
Q: What would you say to a woman who loves music but feels intimidated by the “technical” side of hi-fi?
A: Being cringey is cool! We worry too much about being seen as cringey, and I would just recommend getting away from that. There's some really amazing women out there who are also into hi-fi, and there's some really nice men out there and genuine people who want to help you on your journey. The more we as women do the things we want to do, the more we're just inspiring each other.
Q: If you had to pick one record from the collection that sounds like “home”, which one is it?
A: I think the Leonard Cohen record, "Songs from a Room". My mom loves him, and when I moved out of my mom's house, I would always return to that record to help me feel at home. It makes me think of her, my dad and my childhood in the most warm way.
Q: In a world of digital noise, sitting down to listen to a record is a very "slow" act. Do you think this intentional listening time has changed you in other ways?
A: When I’m listening, sometimes I get a little lost in my thoughts or I'll be working on something else, and then I’ll notice the record needs to be flipped over. Sometimes I have to restart the same side because I don't feel like I deserve to flip the record over. And then at that point I’m immediately back actively listening, and I think that’s nice, because you are forced to return to the present moment and acknowledge the music.
That's been one of my favorite parts listening to vinyl, flipping from side A to side B. This moment between the sides, this moment is special to me. It's a beautiful intermission for a second, or you're talking to someone and the record is playing and you realize the music isn't going on, and you have to stop for a moment. Then you're intentionally returning to the music.
Q: What is one element of your home (audio or otherwise) that you feel most reflects your personal growth and identity?
A: In the record room I have white pieces of paper between each record I've reviewed. Seeing how many white bits of paper are there now, it’s a very physical sign of growth. It even looks like a lot. I listen to A LOT of music. It's getting messier, there's more and more paper, and it's crazy how the room is shifting all the time. It just feels more lived in and experienced, it's really cool.
Q: How can hi-fi be more welcoming and inclusive? Are there areas of the industry that you wish would change?
A: Aesthetically speaking, hi-fi could be more welcoming. Not like PINK or cliché, but the aesthetic of it could be cuter or not as sterile/masculine. Everything from the product design to the text/font/marketing/etc. is all just so… masculine. Other than that, I think just promoting more dope women enjoying their hi-fi gear and talking about it. I think I’d be more excited to go to a hi-fi event if it was led by queer, BIPOC, women, etc.; really opening up the space away from just purely guys.
Q: Any advice to anyone getting started on their listening journey? You've done so much listening now, we're sure there are many who want an easy place to start. How would you guide them?
A: When it comes to listening—I don't know who said this first—we have eyelids, but we don't have earlids. So be intentional about what your ears are introduced to. You can't just close them.
Eloise Preen - eloisepreen
Q: Tell us more about your channel, its nexus and what inspired you to start sharing your lifestyle?
A. I started the channel last January [2025] after I bought my first apartment. I’ve had a background in social media for a long time and also run a social media agency. I paired that with my love of interior design.
My mum used to be an interior decorator and designer, she's given me a lot of inspiration in life. My style and hers are quite different though. I'm really into vintage, mid-centery modern. Her style is probably more organized than mine.
But, I knew what I wanted this space to be like before I moved in. I bought the side board and some of the antique frames on the wall before I even moved in and stored them in my aunty’s garage.
Q: You listen to a lot of music on your channel. Who are some of your favorite musicians?
A: I love Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, anything a bit retro really. But, I'm big on British 70s, The Clash, The Jam, Debbie Harry, yeah, just all the loads of different music. I also find myself listening to indie rock as well.
The other thing is, I know stuff that I'm not a huge fan of too, like really heavy rap music or things of that nature aren’t my favorite.
Q: Tell me more about how you embraced vinyl?
A: My partner and I have always been huge record collectors. When we moved in together I came with a stash of records and so did he (though I think my brother may have stolen a few). We’ve always listened to records.
We also do a lot of traveling, and [if we want to spend money on ourselves] instead of spending money on stuff we don't need, we buy vinyl. We actually both bought each other vinyl for Valentine's Day. It's just a fun way of gift giving. But I will say that I gift myself a lot of vinyl…
We both like that listening to records is interactive. Instead of, you know, just rocking out with the phone and clicking the Bluetooth button, where there’s basically no interaction with the music. When people come around, you stick on a vinyl because it’s something we can all participate in collectively. We can flick through and pick a record that's like, “Oh I forgot I even had this one”, and share music with our friends and family. The other thing is you have to listen to the record all the way through. People don't do that anymore and it really helps the music tell a whole story.
Q: Your channel focuses so much on thoughtful living. How does the addition of a high-fidelity sound system change the feeling of a room?
A: The speakers themselves are awesome, they have that incredible vintage feel to them, and there's not a lot of speakers out there that are like the KLH Model Fives. That in itself changes the whole room. I look back on my content from late 2025 and I'm like no, I don't want to work with that anymore. The speakers completely changed the environment.
I love that they are the perfect height and that you can take off the grilles and get a completely different look. From a mid-century modern design perspective, they complete the space. Really, I feel adding speakers like this to a space is the epitome of mid-century modern design. It all feeds into one another, even spiritually. In the 1970s rock stars were huge, listening to hi-fi at home was huge, so if you want that true MCM design, speakers are a necessity.
We've integrated the speakers in a comfortable, realistic way for us. When my partner gets back from work, we sit down, have a coffee or a cup of tea and stick a record on.
Q: As a creator, does the environment you're in influence your editing or curation process? Do you find that certain "moods" in your home spark different creative ideas?
When I'm filming, I choose certain times of the day to focus on because light matters so much. In the morning, this apartment looks very different from how it does in the afternoon to the evening. I’m also trying to capture the right vibe to match my feelings. Sometimes I’m feeling like an evening shot with the lamps on and some soft jazz, and I think that resonates because people want to chill out at night. When you're watching my home on social media and it's night time where you are, you don't want to be seeing bright daytime shots of me drinking a coffee. I’m very focused on ensuring the vibe matches.
Mood-wise is, naturally, dependent on how I'm feeling. If I'm feeling upbeat, I'm going to stick on a record like Outkast and make a coffee and it's like go, go, go. But if I'm feeling sleepy, I want something I can chill out to while cooking dinner. And I jump on these opportunities. If I have an idea based on how I’m feeling, I follow through with it. Even if it means stopping what I’m doing to capture an awesome shot of the flat in a moment in time.
Q: What is one element of your home that you feel most reflects your personal growth and identity as a creator and designer?
The vintage furniture. That's the thing that I've always been into most about interior design. But, I didn’t know what sort of vibe I wanted at the very start, I just knew that I’ve always loved 50s, 60s and 70s interiors. You actually don’t see it much in the UK, though now it is becoming trendy.
But of course, I want my own take and spin on it. Take a look at our record cabinet, it’s actually a vintage Haberdashery unit where people used to store old sewing kits. I did a lot of research on EBay, Facebook Marketplace and other places to find all of this amazing furniture.
Another one is my music collection. When I first started the account, that was the sort of content that was really starting to drive growth. I would shoot a video of me choosing a record, flipping it, putting it on and making a coffee listening. Everytime I choose a different record, it feels like a signature part of what my content is and always has been.
Q: Because your space is so perfectly curated, I’m sure many must think it’s expensive to decorate this way?
A: I think that’s the initial reaction, but our home is very achievable. People see vintage furniture and think it's so expensive, but I've got almost every piece of furniture in my flat under £500. I love a bargain.
Q: Any tips for people who want to capture that iconic vintage feel you have?
A: If you're an absolute music lover and into interior design, you definitely need something like the KLH Audio speakers. They fit in so seamlessly and truly enhance that vintage feel. You could probably shop around for vintage units, but they won’t have that perfect wood stain or quality. I also look at tech like the Samsung Frame, which is amazing because it helps blend seamlessly into any entertainment space. I think for me it’s important to get things where you take one look at them and say, “wow, they’re awesome”. My taste is vintage, so if I’m saying something looks incredible, then it’s probably right for the space.
