I also think there's never been a better time for hardware. Yes there is plenty of overpriced stuff out there that few can afford but overall there are some really good choices out there.
??? 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?
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I’ve not taken the time to do research to back this up, but as someone who worked in hi-fi stores in my younger days, there were a lot more brands back in the 70-80’s. It was a combination of manufactures and consumers that killed a lot of the midfi stores. It use to be that shopping for a hi-fi system was an adventure. You would shout for a receiver, speaker, turntable, cartridge, tape deck, etc, it it might be done in a single effort, most time it was multiple visits to several shops. Then manufactures like Fisher and Pioneer wanted to make it easier for consumers, and they started to offer pre-packaged systems. Then we downsides to bookshelf systems. Again, no auditioning of components needed, jut buy everything in one package. Now we’re at a point when a lot of people use their little Alexa boxes for music. I have multiple midranges systems in multiple rooms in my house. Heck I even have a system in my garage for when I’m working out there. One of my son’s is a musician/music teacher. Listens to music on his phone. NO trust stereo system in his house at all. That is where we are. Convince of use and size is a dictator for the masses. Yes the industry is shrinking because a lot of people find their phone for streaming devices satisfactory for listening to music, and because of that, not enough equipment can be sold to support local hi-fi shops and/or manufactures like there once were. Just my observations. |
Maybe if “we” didn’t start almost every forum post with some form of personal attack on those trying to ask an informational question that contains not so well disguised language by those who seem entitled by the number of posts - I have been deeply interested in my audio systems for as long as my 70-yr old memory will allow - and in my post retirement life, I have resurrected my interest and equipment purchases to obsessive levels. I joined this group hoping to share my thoughts and interests with some “veteran” audiophiles, as I found that my passion and knowledge had not kept up with the changing technology. That being said, I’M DONE - I have found that I am hesitant to ask a question of the group for fear of some substantial level of insult or belittlement - I have only been a moderately active participant, but if you are actually interested in growing or maintaining interest and/ or membership you might want to look in the mirror - using abbreviations doesn’t make your comments appear any more intelligent and certainly doesn’t encourage participation by those who might have been positively influenced by your experience - let’s see what kind of abbreviation I see to let me know you don’t really care what I think - ! My guess is that the lack of engagement with the 20 to 40 yr olds may have less to do with dollars and more to do with finding somewhere more accommodating. And just for clarification, I’m not a prude - I have as foul mouth as anyone when I am in control and is appropriate- and there is little chance of me recommending my 38yr old daughter, who is developing her own obsession with vinyl (and sharing the interest with my granddaughter) to look to this group for information and encouragement. |
@krkingar well said.. |
From what I've seen, what killed off a lot of midfi stores was the same thing that killed off so many other retailers - huge boxes like Best Buy, Walmart, etc who could get much better prices from distributors than stores that couldn't buy as much and could undercut them in sales prices. I saw this happen with chains like Pacific Stereo from the 70's, and then Good Guys and Circuit City after that. |
@larsman - Big box was the first chink in the armor affecting local audio shops and then the internet came along with direct sales, which was a double whammy by providing the same stuff at lower prices (no middle man) and also by introducing customers to a much wider range of offerings than was possible for local dealers to carry due to inventory overhead and dealer agreements. This resulted in a perfect storm that many dealers did not weather, although there seems to be a few that remain successful selling higher end gear, in larger cities, to customers who enjoy the benefits of personal service. Hats off to them because it can’t be easy. |
@mitch2 + 1 - yes, first the big boxes and then the online retailers. Same thing's happened with bookshops and other smaller retailers, but fortunately, a few still manage to survive... |
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. |