As you would probably guess, as a member of the What Hi-Fi? Team, I love listening to music, ideally with the best setup possible. I’m lucky enough to be able to regularly listen to a range of excellent hi-fi and home cinema kit in our dedicated test rooms.
But at home, I don’t have the budget or the space for a turntable to play my limited collection of vinyl records. Lucky for me, though, there are other ways to enjoy vinyl with a great sound system.
Hi-fi bars, also known as listening bars, originate from Japanese kissa culture, which can be traced back as far as the 1920s. These are intimate, living room-like spaces where audiophiles can listen to music on vinyl as the core focus rather than treating it as background music.
This idea then spread slowly from Japan across the globe. In the UK, there are now countless listening bars to be found with a variety of musical styles and sound system setups. That includes well-known entries such as Spiritland, Kaiho, and Space Talk.
To see if this could be the antidote to my lack of vinyl experience at home, I ventured to Behind This Wall – a listening bar tucked away in an unassuming basement in Hackney, London. It calls itself “a lo-fi bar with hi-fi intentions”.
It claims on its website that the system was put together like a home stereo system and now is “an ever-evolving, loosely amalgamated and slightly rebellious organism.”
The system certainly consists of an eclectic collection of hi-fi kit, including a custom Technics SL120 turntable, a vintage Yamaha P2050 amplifier, and a pair of Elipson Planet L speakers (which we gave four stars to in a review way back in 2012).
Upon entering, I am greeted by relaxing, vintage decor that feels like being in a swanky living room. The low-lit setting consists of a bar and cushioned seating areas to chill with a drink in hand.
I turn up quite early in the evening and am the first one through the door, so it’s the perfect setting to sit and enjoy the tunes. I can imagine that on busier days, the tracks might be a little harder to hear, so that is worth considering when choosing what time to come.
The vinyl album being spun is a unique find – Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares by The Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir. In fact, it’s a challenge to find the exact version online on vinyl, although I have spotted it for sale on eBay.
The disc, released in 1986, consists of beautifully haunting Bulgarian folk music, which makes for atmospheric listening. While I find myself speaking to my partner from time to time, it is easy to become engrossed in the music like I would if I were listening on my own system at home.
Behind the bar, the staff clearly have a passion for the music as they tell me about how they have been listening to the album outside of work just for the fun of it. The records played are hand-picked by the staff and DJ, with fresh music coming in each month.
Also on display are Eberhard Schoener's 1977 genre-blending Trance-Formation album, as well as Bobby Caldwell's What You Won't Do For Love, which offers a more light-hearted jazz vibe.
Hi-fi bars are certainly something I can see myself returning to in the future, especially if I were seeking out genuinely interesting music to add to my roster rather than relying on a streaming algorithm.
Some bars specialise in certain musical genres, such as Jumbi in Peckham, which offers “the sounds and flavours of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora”. That musical expertise, paired with a top-notch bespoke sound system, makes these listening bars a worthy recommendation for budding audiophiles to experience proper hi-fi listening before investing in their own setup.
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