On Listening Bars in the US

A couple weeks back, Eylin and I, took a quick trip to Orlando to visit the latest listening bar to open in the area. We heard it was popular so we arrived early, grabbed a drink and took a spot near the DJ booth.

Soon the line was out the door and around the block. As the DJ cued up some disco on vinyl, the wait for a drink became longer than we had the patience for, and took refuge for a beer in a local dive bar. By any definition this business was a success. The young and beautiful lined up to party the night away.

But we have to admit, with a few exceptions, US vinyl, HiFi, and listening bars have evolved differently than we expected – which is one reason why we've had re-evaluate our position for Cathode Bias. We had the pandemic dream shared by other HiFi enthusiasts, which now seems a bit naive, of high end vintage sound systems as the centerpiece of listening rooms focused on the appreciation of music and high quality sound. It hasn't worked out that way. What we got instead was remake of the classic club formula – we shouldn't be surprised, but we are a little disappointed.

From a business point of view, I have to admit it has been discouraging to lose install deals to Klipsch based configurations. We knew Klipsch would have a big presence in this market (and frankly we positioned La Modesta directly against the Cornwall), but the reality is Klipsch has solidified as the standard in all but the highest-end venues. From a enthusiast's perspective this has resulted in a bit of mono-culture where you know what to expect. Our hope was this movement would sustain a craft audio movement. Instead we are all drinking IPAs.

I want to point out a couple exceptional listening rooms worth mentioning. Our customer Shibuya Hi-Fi Bar in Ballard, Seattle, WA, has managed to create a successful vinyl listening room without alcohol, talking, or shoes. They play entire records, and people actually pay to listen. A huge feat in today's market.

Second is the first listening room I know of in the US: Bar Shiru in Oakland, CA. They opened right before the pandemic, and struggled through the months of lock down in California, but ultimately have created one of the best listening rooms with focused listening area, tube and horn HiFi, and full length jazz records.

We hope the market evolves and becomes more diverse in the US. Until then we will hold our expectations in check and continue on as enthusiasts building what we enjoy.