Shibuya Hi-Fi

Shibuya Hi-Fi is a vinyl listening bar at 4912 Leary Ave NW in Ballard, opened in 2023 in the former Cedar Room space and named after Tokyo’s Shibuya district. It follows the Japanese listening-bar model: low light, low conversation, and a sound system given pride of place. The Hi-Fi Room plays records through 1976 Klipschorn speakers and a Technics SL-1200G turntable driven by rotating tube and solid-state amps, while the main lounge runs a second system.

Founders Brian Rauschenbach and Quentin Ertel run it with music director Supreme La Rock, who hosts “Sunday Soul” on KEXP. Sessions are all-vinyl, often full-album plays, two to five records a night; the Hi-Fi Room is small, reservation-recommended, and shoes-off, with no food or drink carried in.