2. misc-audio
  3. 194660-3130

??? Are Manufacturers Killing Our Hobby ???

 I had struck me recently that there is a GLUTTONY of equipment manufacturers these days & that,if not careful,the unchecked saturation of every corner of our hobby could bring about the demise of the entire industry..
 There are only so many consumers of audio reproduction equipment to go around.The younger generations,as a whole,seem uninterested in the pursuit of music reproduction in the home..Live music events are less & less about the music & more & more about the "show"being put on..
 Vendors at the last hi fi show I attended recently commented on how small the crowds were compared to previous years.
 Too much of anything is never a good thing in the long run...Is it possible that the unbridled ability of manufacturers to saturate the market with too many choices could be a DEATH knell to our hobby in the not to distant future?

freediver
merland100
22 posts
 

It would seem to me that there is an unsustainable amount of premium audio product in the market. It is hard to believe that the market is large enough to sustain all of these manufacturers, and it is not clear to me why these new manufacturers are expending the capital. I recently looked at a Stereophile from about 12 years ago and many of those manufacturers are out of business. Best Buy is not the problem for the true high end as it is only sold through dealers.  I have no idea how the non core high end audio attracts enough volume to be profitable.

68pete
1,024 posts
 

May the best manufacture win

analog_tiffer
15 posts
 

Holy Christ this thread is like an old episode of the Twilight Zone (the Rod Serling years)…. I wanna run away from this accident scene so so badly, but I can’t look away.  

pindac's avatar
pindac
3,097 posts
 

Go to a Audio Show and make a record of how long a System in use in a room was producing Sound before the room was vacated for the next room and system encounter.

Now ask how many rooms were speedily Vacated as a result of the Sound encountered just not being recognised as a sound that can be identified with as being honest as a rendition of a musical piece?

Now ask yourself how many room were speedily Vacated speedily as a result of visually seeing equipment and having some sort of dislike for the designs used for certain roles in the system?

Then there are rooms visited that do hold one for extended periods, that gets ones attention, as result of the sound being heard that is able to have an impact on the person, and compel them to want to extend the experience.

Most Rooms at a HiFi Show do not hold many individuals, they just get foot fall, that is counted by the exhibitor as a huge result when making their show experiences known.

Some rooms at a HiFi show are wall to wall full, and it s not for anything but the Sound produced within the space.      

 Lots and Lots of Manufacturers are producing devices that contribute to making an end sound, but the jury is out on how that end sound is able to impress when actually encountered, and not assessed from just using advertising spiel to describe what is being produced as a Sound.

The above does not suggest devices are mathematically inferior in any way to standards set for the industry or are not above set typical standards.

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