The rise of Vancouver's listening bars

I’m sitting in a cozy wine bar, with giant Italian hi-fi speakers staring down at you and I can’t really help but stare back at them because they’re beautiful.

But that’s not even what’s so compelling here, because the company I’m with is talking through the electronic beats circulating the room, and I realize, wait, I can actually hear what they’re saying?

This is the beauty of Bar Gobo, the cozy and intimate listening bar located at 237 Union Street in Chinatown, focusing on natural wine and, yes, vinyl records played on a hi-fi. Staff pick the records, which range from Brazilian to jazz to groovy electronica – anything, really, that suits the vibe of the room and the whims of the selector.

Listening bars, or listening lounges, are hi-fi-centred venues where music, typically played on vinyl, is a central element of the experience. Hi-fi, or high fidelity audio, refers to sound reproduction that is accurate, detailed, and low in distortion — the gold standard for audiophiles who prioritize hearing music as close to its original recorded form as possible. Many argue that vinyl records sound best on hi-fi systems. 

Bar Gobo was among the first to crop up in Vancouver in the 2020s, filling a gap in a city where opportunities to experience music in a communal space have become harder to come by.