By Michael Taylor

I first met Steve Kennedy and his brother Dave, the current owners of JS Audio, a few years ago while visiting the store.  Steve, who now runs the day to day operations, had worked for over 8 years with the former owner, Joe Stromick, who also became his mentor.  For over 32 years Joe owned JS Audio and maintained its reputation as the premier High End Audio store in the Washington DC area. It still holds that title today. Joe passed away this February and Steve and Dave took the wheel and haven’t looked back.

JS Audio, located in Bethesda MD, is truly a gem.  It’s a small store, but the old adage about good things coming in small packages couldn’t be more true than in this case.  As soon as you open the door, you know you’ve found something special.

One of the first things you see when you walk in is a wide array of Nordost hanging on the wall.  But Nordost is just the beginning— the next treat comes when you turn your head and see Audio Research and Wilson Audio greeting you.  Walk down the long hallway and peek into the other rooms and you’re transported to hi-fi heaven:  You see more Wilson Audio speakers, more Audio Research, DCS, McIntosh, Dynaudio, D’Agostino, Boulder, HRS, and SME— all wired with Nordost, from Blue Heaven all the way to Odin 2.

Until you walk in that front door you would have no idea that the best of the best reside here.

Steve is continuing the same course that Joe found so successful over the years, while adding a splash of his own taste.  He keeps a focus on partnerships with select brands, but has also plunged deeper into vinyl than the store has previously.  Industry trends are important to notice, and Steve keeps his finger on the pulse of what is happening.  Weekend events with manufacturers still happen here every 2-3 months, with only the best wine and appetizers served.  I think the manufacturers enjoy it as much as Steve’s clients do!