The Listening Room

The Listening Room is a third-generation, family-owned hi-fi shop in Chestertown, Maryland, and this page gathers everything we sell under our own name. Pop-Pop Donald Hoatson made it a business in 1978, selling his speakers from home after horse trading used gear in the Sunpapers. Mike runs it today. Most of what carries our name is the work itself: complete systems Mike has matched piece by piece, and the hands-on setup that decides how a great system sounds once it is in your house.

Start with Mike's Hand-Selected HiFi Systems, from a first serious system to a statement system, each one a set of components Mike matched himself. Our Services cover cartridge mounting and alignment, two-channel system calibration and tube amplifier bias adjustment. For the person in your life you would never dare buy a cartridge for, our gift cards come digital or physical. And our merch starts with cork coasters Mike laser engraves in the shop, complete with a spec sheet and a recommended 200-hour break-in.