HiFi Hangouts

It's easy to imagine a person in their 20s or 30s on the subway, airpods firmly in place, buried in their phone and tuning out the world around them. But a growing trend is seeing these urban hipsters flock to communal listening spaces. Across the US - and the world - cafés, bars and other "third spaces" are rediscovering the draw of recorded music, not as background noise, but as the centerpiece of an experience that feels social, low-key and luxurious.

The current vogue for social hi-fi emerged out of Japan, where "Jazz Kissaten," or jazz cafés, emerged in the years following World War II. Boasting large collections of records and the latest stereo technology, they could offer a far better listening experience than Japanese consumers could typically find at home – plus coffee, cocktails, and a community of other music lovers to chat with.

These venues have been on the decline in Japan for decades, but the revival of interest in vinyl records – and the vogue for all things Japanese, the more obscure the better – has driven a boom of interest in the west. 

In the US, listening spaces have opened in cities large and small; prominent examples include Public Records and Honeycomb in New York, as well as Bar Shiru in Oakland, ESP Hifi in Denver, and Dorian's in Chicago. 

Globally, there's Potato Head in Singapore and Bali, Brilliant Corners in London, Fiel Discos in Sao Paolo and Audioteca in Naples.

What ties them all together is a warm and welcoming aesthetic, a focus on relaxation and contemplation, and ultra-premium hi-fi gear that's placed front-and-center, in almost shrine-like veneration.

Just as Japan's Jazz Kissaten will specialize in certain genres or artists, a similar diversification is happening in the US; the recently-opened 929 in Long Island City plays only the Canto- and Mando-pop of Hong Kong, Taiwan and China from the 80s and 90s.

As young urbanites look for new ways to connect, we expect the listening-room trend to not only grow, but to evolve in interesting ways – keep an eye out for new spaces and experiences that leverage the power of sound.

We've put together a playlist featuring some of our favorite tracks that evoke the experience of relaxing in a listening room; we've started with some of the jazz, soul and avant-garde tracks that you might encounter in a classic Japanese Kissaten, and then amped up the energy near the end with some house and future-funk for those looser end-of-night vibes. Whether you're listening with Airpods or a vintage Macintosh tube-amp stack, we hope you enjoy!