Listening Bars

[Audionut]

So I did a quick search and didn’t find a thread specific to the above subject. We have sprinkled kissa style bars in a few threads including a recent restaurant one. If I missed the actual listening bar thread feel free to merge this link. Otherwise I’d like to keep a running list of listening bars in the states and in good old (?)

Here is a slightly biased link I received from McIntosh, where they showcases their components in a few listening bars:

Immerse Yourself in Hi-Fi Bliss: Top Bars for Music Enthusiasts

Discover the world's top Hi-Fi listening bars with McIntosh - your guide to immersive sound experiences.

www.mcintoshlabs.com

 

[FalseMetal666]

Shibuya in Seattle.
Decibel in Milwaukee, OR.
Yokai in SF.
Bar Shiru in Oakland.
Goldline in LA.
ESP in Denver.

 

[JoeThePop]

Does it count if they call them vinyls?

 

[Audionut]

Does it count if they call them vinyls?
View attachment 78498

I’d normally say no, but we could put it to a vote?

 

[JoeThePop]

I’d normally say no, but we could put it to a vote?

I vote yes because it says they are authentic vinyls.

 

[Tom Brennan]

When vinyl became a general term for records it was inevitable that the term would be applied to the particular and a record called a vinyl.

 

[MrEd]

My son used to call my turntable a vinyl player when we was in his teens.
When he was around 8 or 10, he said one day " Dad play one of those big CDs"

 

[JohnVF]

I cannot take seriously a person or place that refers to LPs as "vinyls". We all have our line in the sand. Or groove, as it may be.

 

[JoeThePop]

I cannot take seriously a person or place that refers to LPs as "vinyls". We all have our line in the sand. Or groove, as it may be.

Kind of makes me wonder what they mean by “state of the art sound system.”

 

[Rudy]

Kind of makes me wonder what they mean by “state of the art sound system.”

An unkempt thrift-store Realistic receiver and some white-van speakers attached to a Crosley record shredder. 👍

I cannot take seriously a person or place that refers to LPs as "vinyls".

Boom, there it is. It's the most cringe-worthy word in the audio world. (Or I guess as the kids say today in their fractured grammatical style: "It's cringe." 🤦‍♂️) I'd be that one asshole leaving a review that said, "You know, I'd actually visit if you didn't call them "vinyls." IMHO it's ignorance. (The term, not me leaving a review...that's just stupidity.)

 

[JohnVF]

Kind of makes me wonder what they mean by “state of the art sound system.”

I spied a U-turn orbit turntable in their photos. At least its not a Crosley?

 

[JohnVF]

Looking through their instagram, it raises the question of what decides that a place is a listening bar vs it just being a bar with a record player. We have plenty of those in chicago (and several with reel to reels) that don't sell themselves as a listening lounge. They're just bars that are slightly more self-conscious about their background music. That said, it looks like a nice enough place to grab a drink and talk to some folks.

 

[Audionut]

Kind of makes me wonder what they mean by “state of the art sound system.”

I am seeing a McIntosh 225 and a cool looking preamp/mixer here, can’t make out the speakers. I’d have drinks there.
Maybe it was the writer that fouled the term by adding an “s”?

gallery2 — The Griot

www.griotdetroit.com

Edit; never mind, saw the TT.

 

[Rudy]

I spied a U-turn orbit turntable in their photos.

Oof. 😐

But maybe they picked all the vinyl bins clean at all the thrift stores in the area. 😁 ("Cuz clicks and pops makes the vinyls sound better.")

 

[JohnVF]

It just seems like a very Detroit place, where they put just enough into it but...not quite enough. Working in advertising in Detroit, we'd often sit around and just make up taglines for Detroit. "Detroit. At least we tried." "Detroit. We're working on it." "Detroit. Almost but not quite."

(And I say those lovingly....I really miss Detroit and like it better than Chicago).

 

[Rudy]

And I say those lovingly....

I don't. 🤣 And you already know my feelings for this area and the entire state! 😁 Shoulda left 35 years ago.

It just seems like a very Detroit place, where they put just enough into it but...not quite enough.

"We wanna be cool, so here's some cool stuff we think that you think is cool." It's like taking grandpa's gold LeSabre into an F1 race. Yep, she's got wheels and runs, but she ain't keepin' up with the big boys!

And in all seriousness, you're right. It's just enough "pretending" that they hope to pull off the same success as those who do it right.

 

[JohnVF]

I don't. 🤣 And you already know my feelings for this area and the entire state! 😁 Shoulda left 35 years ago.


"We wanna be cool, so here's some cool stuff we think that you think is cool." It's like taking grandpa's gold LeSabre into an F1 race. Yep, she's got wheels and runs, but she ain't keepin' up with the big boys!

And in all seriousness, you're right. It's just enough "pretending" that they hope to pull off the same success as those who do it right.

Whereas I find all of Detroit's efforts to do something, anything, to be charming. They're all very DIY and because of that they have a sort of personal character and lack of pretense. As much as I joke about being a hipster, I like these kind of "well we did what we could and at least we're doing something" kind of places, as I generally feel they're more sincere and heartfelt.

I found Detroit to be very endearing. Maybe not so much the areas AROUND Detroit (except Ferndale, and maybe Royal Oak), but Detroit itself was unique.

It's not my favorite place in America by any means, but it might be my favorite place in the midwest.

 

[JoeThePop]

Looking through their instagram, it raises the question of what decides that a place is a listening bar vs it just being a bar with a record player. We have plenty of those in chicago (and several with reel to reels) that don't sell themselves as a listening lounge. They're just bars that are slightly more self-conscious about their background music. That said, it looks like a nice enough place to grab a drink and talk to some folks.

It’s what came up first in my Google search of “listening bars” in my area.

 

[Punker X]

I cannot take seriously a person or place that refers to LPs as "vinyls". We all have our line in the sand. Or groove, as it may be.

I really don't have a problem with vinyls. Our language and slang is ever evolving. If kids or the hipster culture want to call vinyl records vinyls. Doesn't bother me whatsoever. I'm never going to set foot in a listening bar anyway. Typically I drink and listen to my vinyls alone and on occasion with a select group of friends.

 

[Rudy]

It's not my favorite place in America by any means, but it might be my favorite place in the Midwest.

It's probably similar to how I feel about Chicago. Yeah, it has its problems, its crimes, cost of living, taxes, etc. And I drive through enough to get a taste of the traffic. But as one example of what I like, the cultural opportunities are so much greater. I mean, a person really into museums could spend a full day or two at Shedd's, the Field, etc. in that area alone. Another example--in the past, many of the bands I'd wanted to see live would always bypass our state, yet would show up in Chicago with regularity.

Chicago also has a usable downtown area. We have a bunch of shiny buildings. In Chicago, so many people from all walks of life are out there taking it all in. Where my better half works (a block or two from the Ren Cen), you only see others who are stuck working down there, and the homeless people who they all have to avoid. Go after 9-5 working hours and other than the sports arenas and a few isolated spots, it's a ghost town. So many other downtown areas around the country have that type of downtown (on a smaller scale), which we don't. Woodward would have been just as impressive as Chicago's Miracle Mile had everyone not bailed after the riots.

I think part of it for both of us, too, is the change in environment. We tend to be more fond of places we didn't grow up in, or have lived in long-term. (Not true for everyone, of course.) We're seeing things we like, while the unpleasant bits wouldn't reveal themselves until we were in a place long-term.