A new generation of audio-minded spaces emerges in the United States and beyond…

In the years since the pandemic, audiophile culture has expanded well beyond the realm of niche interests and into the mainstream, with hi-fi speakers, amplifiers, and turntables appearing in projects across fashion, art, and film. In particular, Devon Turnbull’s work through his fashion-adjacent OJAS speaker brand and his HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 1, a landmark exhibition presenting an audiophile listening room as a sound art installation, have shown that audiophile culture and aesthetics have legs well beyond Japan and the previous generations from hi-fi’s golden age.

Since we last published our Guide to Listening Bars in 2021, audiophile spaces have continued to emerge around the world and have taken off across the United States in cities like Austin, Portland, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, and others where vinyl enthusiasts, often in collaboration with the F&B industry, have created space for a more analog approach to listening. While many of these spaces still take inspiration from Japan’s jazz kissa culture, it’s clear that this new generation of hi-fi has taken on a life and shape of its own… These listening spaces come in different sizes and forms: tea rooms, high-end cocktail bars, book stores, restaurants, galleries, clothing stores, community spaces, and DJ bars.

From our perspective, while the recent hi-fi movement might seem trendy, this shift to analog listening and the overall consideration of how music is consumed is monumentally important. In Japan, there are hundreds of listening bars across the country and listening bars are just considered another type of space for music lovers to gather. Our hope is that these audio-minded spaces in the United States and around the world continue to grow, establish communities, and become a part of the fabric of the cities they find homes in.

Below, our guide to the new generation of audiophile listening spaces in the United States. Many of these places are part of a network of listening bars that we have been steadily building over the past year. More news on that soon!

Note: We’ve only included new spaces in this article that were not published in the original 2021 feature. We encourage you to continue supporting Dante’s hi-fi, Public Records, Goldline, and Bar Shiru! Also, look out for a follow-up to this article featuring audiophile spaces in Europe, Asia, and beyond.

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ESP hi-fi (Denver)

ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) hints to the feeling for us when all senses, sight, smell, touch, taste and sound are in harmony. You can’t put your finger on it, but everything just feels… right. esp is a space that continues to evolve. At the core we a records only listening bar, one that does its best to hold to the principle of ‘less is more’. This shows up everywhere from the untouched patina walls to the low-wattage class A tube amps to the minimal intervention wine on our walls. Less is more when the less is highly considered. In essence, esp is an invitation to slow down for a listen and a drink amongst friends.

XO (Kansas City)

Launched in 2024 by the team behind ESP hi-fi, XO is a 30-seat HiFi vinyl lounge hidden inside an old garage space. In addition to all the core elements of ESP, the listening bar also offers Japanese inspired cocktails and small plates by James Beard nominated Chef Johnny Leach. Stay tuned for a “Listening Bars We Love” feature on XO by Randall Roberts.

Parachute hi-fi (Chicago)

Parachute HiFi is the next chapter of the celebrated Parachute restaurant, originally opened in 2014 by James Beard Award-winning and Michelin-starred chefs Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim. What began as a modern, upscale-casual Korean dining destination has evolved into a HiFi listening bar. The newly reimagined space balances warmth and intimacy with sonic fidelity. Guests can settle into dining tables, cozy nooks, or perch at the bar while enjoying inventive cocktails and dishes rooted in Parachute’s acclaimed menu lineage. At night, the room hums with the crackle of vinyl, spun by local DJs, collectors, and friends of the community.

Silence Please (New York)

Silence Please is a speaker design studio based in New York City. We design high-fidelity speakers that prioritize depth over volume, clarity over loudness, and presence over performance. Each piece is built to reveal the quiet details in sound, such as the breath before a word, the touch of a string, or the shape of a room. Our space lives inside a former art gallery on the Bowery. It’s part listening room, part tea house. A place to slow down. To tune in and listen gently. We believe silence is not the absence of sound, but the presence of attention. We started Silence Please to make something slower. Something quieter. Something that tunes us back to what’s always been there. We don’t think of speakers as loud objects. We see them as instruments of self care. Every detail of our speakers, from acoustic tuning to physical form, is carefully considered to serve the listening experience. We began with a single prototype in a small New York studio. Then came a gallery. Then a cup of tea. Then many others.

Percy Sound Lounge (Philadelphia)

Locally owned & operated, Percy is a glamorous 70s-inspired restaurant, bar, and sound lounge serving daily brunch and weekend dinner. Outfitted with Altec Lansing A7 Voice of the Theater speakers, the Sound Lounge presents weekly vinyl nights including “Spatial Awareness,” an intentional listening event inviting you to immerse yourself in sound and build community, and ‘Great Circles Presents,’ a reflection of the local Philly radio station’s broadcasts and their record shop offerings – music from all over the world, spanning a wide range of genres and generations.

Head-Hi (New York)

Opened in 2018, Head Hi is an organization dedicated to art, architecture, design and sound specializing in print and cultural programming with an espresso bar located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. We feature a curated selection of reading materials from around the globe (for sale). We work with local and international artists, designers, publishers, and organizations in various fields. Head Hi is a space for exploration and interaction that hosts talks, book launches, exhibitions, music performances and other events.

El más allá (Puerto Rico)

Located in Old San Juan, EMA is an intimate space where high-fidelity sound and gastronomy come together. With formats spanning digital, CD, cassette, and vinyl, every detail is designed for deep listening. Our refined menu of food and cocktails is paired with a cultural program that features collaborations with local artists, musicians, and creators, making EMA more than a restaurant or bar — it is a hub where sound, flavor, and community converge.

Mr. Melo (New York)

Mr. Melo is an all vinyl listening bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that features a force carbonated forward cocktail program and a small food menu that leans towards Greek-American cuisine. Something that we pride ourselves on here is the element of accessibility to our customers. We aim to provide an affordable price point in order to attract a wider demographic of customers. In addition to price point we aim to be a listening bar that b touches on many different musical styles and genres: sonically there’s something here for everyone.  Another unique element to this bar is the range of energy and vibes that occur throughout the week. Sunday through Wednesday the energy in the room tends to be more subdued and the music played is more introspective which lends itself to more of a true “listening” experience whereas on Friday and Saturday nights we create a more energetic and lively atmosphere for people to let go and even dance if they would like.

Million Goods (New York)

Million Goods is a unique space that blends menswear and music subcultures, creating a broader sense of community within its carefully curated environment. At the heart of the Million Goods flagship store are three defining pillars: retail, wine, and hi-fi. During the day, the store offers an eclectic mix of home goods and thoughtfully curated clothing, while at night, it transforms into a lively hub, hosting DJs and serving a selection of natural wines. 

Commune (Atlanta)

Commune is a listening room and wine bar in Atlanta, GA built around a strong community of record collectors, musicians and producers in the southeast and beyond. Most nights feature focused sets of recorded music on the bar’s Klipsch AK6 speakers, powered by a JJ322 tube amp, but the bar also has live performances by jazz artists, experimental guitarists and ambient and folk projects suitable for the intimate space. Commune invested heavily in acoustic design, which as Paul Klipsch noted is 80% of the sound, by angling walls and placing absorptive and diffusive panels strategically throughout the room. There are even bass traps cut into the ceiling of the DJ booth so the music sounds good for them too. Commune strives to be a comfortable, accessible space for people to get together to enjoy music, food and drinks and sets pretension aside.  

Small Hours (Minnesota)

A collaboration between record collector and musician Sam Cassidy and Sommelier Sarina Garbovic, Small Hours is an owner operated hi-fi wine bar in Northeast Minneapolis opened in 2024. It’s a small neighborhood bar where good music and good wine are the simple focus. The space is equipped with a mix of vintage and new gear: an old pair of Klipsch La Scalas, a Cary Audio integrated tube amp, a pair of vintage Luxman turntables, and a Varia Instruments rotary mixer. The in house record collection includes a mix of everything from the Coltranes to Can to Curtis Mayfield, Steve Reich, King Tubby, The Blue Nile and Joni Mitchell, and was built from Cassidy’s many years as a DJ and record collector. Typically focusing on full sides at a time, the goal is to present a wide range of music that moves you.

Equipment Room (Austin)

Tucked away just off of South Congress on the storied Music Lane in Austin, TX, Equipment Room is a high-fidelity vinyl bar located in the basement of Bunkhouse Hotels’ Hotel Magdalena. Inspired by famed Tokyo hideaways and the intimate tradition of a Japanese kissa, Equipment Room brings a uniquely Texas sensibility to the high-fidelity vinyl concept, with every detail from the record collection to the sound equipment and the cocktails devoted to the art of appreciation. 

MONO SPACE (Portland)

MONO SPACE is a high fidelity listening gallery dedicated to the preservation of music culture and the presentation of music recordings as works of art. Located in a renovated warehouse in Portland’s historic Pearl District, this nonprofit venture provides opportunities for collective deep listening experiences, while offering public programming that opens up the layered worlds of recorded music, past and present.

48 Record Bar (Philadelphia)

48 Record Bar is a listening room and people space, located above Sassafras, the Grande Dame of neighborhood bars. Inspired by the tiny-but-legendary audiophile bars that have long accompanied Japan’s obsessive record collecting culture, the 48 also features a wide range of special programming, including listening parties, live events, and more.