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Ethan Bourdeau

@_bourdeau

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Acoustician at BAD
Board Member at QPI
Educator at GSAPP
Musician at BKWS
Heritage Acoustics in 🇦🇲 🇳🇴 🇯🇵

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A former vault once built to protect what was valuable now holds something equally precious: the artists, sounds, and stories that speak to our emotions, our lives, and our minds.

Hidden beneath Downtown Dallas, @shyboy.hifi • Shyboy HiFi transforms the subterranean remains of a historic 1920s bank into something between a listening sanctuary, an underground club, and a work of contemporary art.

The concept was created by Jonathan Merla and JT Donaldson, two musicians shaped by different worlds of sound. Jonathan is a Berklee-trained percussionist whose roots extend through Carnatic music, jazz, and neo-soul. JT is a respected figure in Dallas house music, an accomplished producer, DJ, and lifelong vinyl collector. Together, they created a space where their worlds meet and where music is not treated as background, but as the reason everyone has gathered.

Designed by Dallas-based 5G Studio Collaborative, Shyboy resists the warm, midcentury language commonly associated with listening bars. Its curved Brutalist architecture, preserved concrete, concealed lighting, and sculptural forms feel closer to a gallery or sacred space.

In the main room, two monumental nine-foot OJAS x NNNN speakers designed by Devon Turnbull invite movement. The sound is powerful enough for house music, yet precise enough to reveal the quietest details within a jazz recording. At its entrance, Lachlan Turczan’s “Optical Resonance” translates sound into movement through water and light, allowing music to become something we can hear, see, and almost touch.

That is what makes Shyboy so compelling. It honors the deep-listening tradition of Japan’s jazz kissas without trying to reproduce one. Instead, it offers a distinctly Dallas expression of listening culture, making room for contemplation, conversation, storytelling, and dance.

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Summer photo dump of home, friends, family, New York City shenanigans, pups, avoiding Nashville pot holes, my pale self blending in with the window trim, ATLA, starting to take class again… oh and I thought about putting the 🩰boots back on…
hahahaha. No.

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We’re proud to see this extraordinary home cinema featured in Residential Systems for Home Theater Week 2026.

First and foremost, our heartfelt thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Brewer for trusting us with their vision and giving this talented team the opportunity to bring it to life.

A special thank you to Glen Hoffman and 3D Squared for the creativity and beautiful artwork that gives this cinema so much of its character, and to Ethan Bourdeau of Bourdeau Acoustical Design for his expertise in helping the room perform as beautifully as it looks.

To Daniel Jones of JBL Synthesis, thank you for your expert calibration.

As Kasabe Designs’ Abe Rasoulian shared with Residential Systems:

“We were integrating dozens of speakers, multiple layers of acoustics, and a luxury design aesthetic. Every inch of the room had to work for both performance and beauty.”

Our sincere thanks to HomeTroniX, Chad Young, Abbey Redmon and WDD Architects, Berkeley Woodworking, Kendrix Robb, Harman Luxury Audio, and every designer, fabricator, craftsman, and specialist who contributed to this remarkable project.

✨ Read the full JBL Synthesis feature—link in bio. Read the full feature Residencial System -link in our bio. @jblsynthesiscertified @stewart.filmscreen #hometheater #homecinema #luxuryhomes

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Ethan Bourdeau, Stylus' acoustician and curatorial advisor, is an internationally recognized engineer and educator with a razor-sharp focus on sound's impact on humans and the natural world.

He is the owner of Bourdeau Acoustical Design (BAD), a multi-faceted acoustical design firm, and lectures on acoustics and field recording at Columbia University. A classically trained musician, Ethan combines a lifelong passion for music with over a decade of industry experience designing listening rooms and venues that deeply resonate with listeners.

Since Stylus' inception, Bourdeau, alongside his friends at Criterion Acoustics, has been sculpting and enhancing Stylus’ room acoustics across the building’s five floors.

Feel the difference in Bourdeau's approach at Stylus. Opening soon in the Lower East Side.

#StylusNYC

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Sesin Mimarisi: Spotify’ın Hi-Fi Hamlesi ve Tasarım Odaklı Derin Dinlemenin Yükselişi.

Spotify, Londra’daki Dinleme Salonu ile dijital akışın ötesine geçiyor. Cake Architecture ve Friendly Pressure iş birliğiyle tasarlanan bu mekan, yaklaşık yarım tonluk özel ses sistemi ve Cassina Soriana koltuklarıyla “Derin Dinleme”yi (Deep Listening) yeniden tanımlıyor. @friendly.pressure @cake.architecture @_bourdeau @spotifyuk

WANC Journal olarak biz, bu girişimi pasif akıştan sürükleyici bir toplumsal sese doğru kültürel bir kayma olarak kodluyoruz. Tokyo’nun plak barlarından ilham alan bu “Hi-Fi Sığınağı”, lüksün artık hızda değil, kasıtlılık ve zanaatkarlıkta yattığını kanıtlıyor.

📸 @felixspeller

Stratejik kaydın tamamı Wanc Journal profilinde, linkte.

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The Architecture of Sound: Spotify’s Hi-Fi Gambit and the Rise of Design-Led Deep Listening.

Spotify transcends the digital stream with its new London Listening Lounge. Designed in collaboration with Cake Architecture and Friendly Pressure, this space redefines “Deep Listening” with a half-tonne custom sound system and Cassina Soriana seating. @friendly.pressure @cake.architecture @_bourdeau @spotifyuk

WANC Journal decodes this initiative as a cultural shift from passive streaming to immersive, communal sound. Inspired by Tokyo’s vinyl bars, this “Hi-Fi Sanctuary” proves that luxury no longer lies in speed, but in intentionality and craftsmanship.

📸 @felixspeller

Full strategic record: Link in bio.

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It’s time for another @soundtemplehv Open Listening. Come hang and hear @_bourdeau spin field recordings!

Pop in, drift out anytime!

🗓 Friday, May 22 🕰 12–4 PM  📍 @sound_temple_hv 59 O’Neil St 2B (2nd floor) Kingston, NY
Cost: FREE!

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This weekend was a resounding success in post-industrial archaeo-acoustic studies, better than I could have even imagined. Thank you to the 800+ (!!!) people who attended and waited in the pouring rain to experience the Poughkeepsie Cistern, and sorry to those we ultimately had to turn away at the end. Thank you to my curatorial cohort Ethan Bourdeau, Lea Bertucci, Booker Stardrum, Michael Beharie, Man Bartlett, Raven Chacon, and all the other performers who answered the open call and brought their a-game. Thank you to PK City Planner Richard Distel, Chris Kroner and the entire MASS Design team for making this all happen and seeing the vision and trusting me to get weird. Serious thanks to Nando and the production team for recording *everything* and running boards in the dark from beginning to end. THANK YOU TO THE POWER KINGDOM THE CITY OF PK. And thank you to the cistern itself, for beyond its 15 second reverb was a resonant pitch that rang often uncontrollably when activated, long after all other sounds dispersed, and it sounded happy to sing.

Post industrial America and the world at large is filled with hidden cathedrals such as these, when you find them you must advocate for them to sing, people WILL show up and we proved that this weekend.

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Open listening sessions are back! We’ve taken a moment to pause and transition into our new space and we’re excited for you to Come Hear!

Drop in, chill out, drift out anytime.

🗓 When: Every other Friday starting May 8th
🕰 Time: 12–4 PM
📍Where: @sound_temple_hv 59 O’Neil St 2B (2nd floor) Kingston, NY
💸 Cost: Free

May Sessions:

May 8 - @freakout.spot
May 22 - @_bourdeau

Bonus on May 8 🪵🦥

We’re also hosting a Community Scrap Wood Day in the parking lot from 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
Come browse and take home free materials, finishes, and more!

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@sona___space it’s been a long journey 🎶🍵🌿

En el contexto denso y activo de la Ciudad de México, atravesado por múltiples capas sonoras, sona propone otra condición: un espacio donde escuchar se convierte en un acto consciente.

Ubicado en Cuernavaca 134, Condesa, Ciudad de México, este proyecto parte de una premisa simple pero exigente: prestar verdadera atención al sonido permite habitar el presente y generar formas de conexión más profundas. Lejos de entender la música como fondo, sona la sitúa en el centro de la experiencia.

Diseño espacial en colaboración con @panorama.rq y @_bourdeau 🙌🏽

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NNNN @shyboy.hifi

Located at 1313 Main Street in Dallas, Shyboy is a modern hi-fi bar and listening room set inside the original vault of the historic Drakestone Bank, a site famously tied to Bonnie and Clyde.

Developed by The Headington Companies, the space is rooted in Japan’s jazz kissa culture, with an emphasis on sound and deep listening.

Jonathan Merla, Vice President of Marketing at Headington Companies and a devoted audiophile, played a key role in shaping and realizing the Shyboy concept. At Shyboy, equipment and world-class programming are about the only things taken seriously.

Sound sits at the heart of the project, with systems by NNNN playing a central role in the space. The main room features ON2 in a semi-gloss silvery finish, supported by seven Gage 125 units deployed without grilles to deliver a clean and direct presentation. In the DJ booth, two Gage 60s are paired with a Devor 40, creating a highly controlled and responsive monitoring environment.

The vault features a bespoke OJAS system by Devon Turnbull, offering an intimate, high-fidelity listening experience within the space.

The club system runs on a fully analogue signal chain, passing through carefully selected outboard gear from Rupert Neve Designs, delivering warmth and precision.

JT Donaldson leads music programming, bringing a deep, genre-spanning perspective to the bar’s listening-first approach.

Delivered in partnership with @globalavgroup, Shyboy reflects a shared commitment to advancing listening culture through technical excellence and a deep respect for music.

Now open, Shyboy introduces a new kind of venue to Dallas—one built for listening first.

#sound #design #music #culture #lifestyle

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RESTAURANT & BAR | Space Talk by EBBA Architects x Charlotte Taylor

Sound takes the lead, space follows.
Here, architecture is tuned rather than built—every surface, curve, and junction calibrated to carry atmosphere.

Brushed metal meets softened wood tones, while layered acoustics dissolve sharp edges into a more intimate, immersive rhythm. The space doesn’t reveal itself all at once; it unfolds in sequences—each step subtly shifting light, texture, and sonic depth.

It’s a setting where silence matters as much as sound, and where design steps back just enough to let the experience resonate.

Design by @ebbaarchitects @benniallan x @charlottetaylr
Photography by @olliegtomlinson

#SAADE #restaurantdesign #bardesign

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@spotifyuk just commissioned @friendly.pressure to build the sound system at the centre of its new London Listening Lounge, and the brief was clearly to do it properly.

The system runs on ALNICO magnet drivers. The same technology Abbey Road ran through the 60s and 70s when British audio engineering set the global standard. Every major manufacturer abandoned ALNICO in 1978 when a civil war in Zaire cut off the world’s cobalt supply. No commercial sound system brought it back at this level until now.

The room was designed by @cake.architecture around the speakers. Acoustics by Ethan Bordeau, who builds the OJAS listening spaces with Devon Turnbull. Kvadrat Soft Cells panels throughout. Spotify lossless running through a chain actually capable of resolving it.

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