Is this the end of HEA?
http://www.cepro.com/article/is_this_the_end_of_high_performance_audio_at_ces
This last year has made my ears perk up. Honestly I didn't even know the article above had been written until now. What I did know was listeners have been in touch with me about the future of HEA and their future as advanced listeners. It's been nice to see folks getting in touch with me and even nicer that they are doing so because they wish to settle into their final system sound. To say things in their words "it's been an expensive ride" and most of these folks aren't sure they've gotten a fair shake always from the hobby. Many feel they have bank rolled a part of a hobby that hasn't always delivered the goods. Basically instead of telling listeners that this is a variable hobby the "experts" pushed a very expensive game of component Plug & Play onto the discrete audio generation. I remember those days of guilt buying where a dollar amount was used as a representative for quality, when it meant no such thing. I knew first hand this was not the case as designers scrambled to make up-sell products that sounded less musical than the original products that put their name in audio fame. I also could see the HEA decline happening but still was giving the benefit of the doubt to those saying HEA was just fine and growing. Mom and pop stores for the most part have vanished in the US with the exception of a few creative thinkers. New expensive products are being adored but I don't see many actually buying them. Now I've got my eye on T.H.E. Show (Richard's show) and wondering if it's happening or not. Richard and I have talked many times about what will happen to HEA in the US if T.H.E. Show and CES cease doing their thing in Vegas. I wonder what Richard RIP is thinking now sitting in the clouds.
I am very excited to see the next few years come about even though I know some are still buying into the old paradigm that the HEA is the cutting edge with only a volume control to adjust and a fork lift included with every purchase. Going to the CES web, I have my answer for Vegas. Going to T.H.E. Show website I'm still in question. If these two are no more, in terms of HEA, who's next?
Michael Green
"Exciting? Well, I suppose, unless you’re a high-end audio, brick and mortar retailer." I think if someone is a creative marketer they can profit. But their existing paradigm will have to be flexible and adapted to a newer style of listening hobby. Keep in mind HEA brick and mortar has been on the decline since the late 1990's. They've had a lot of time to reinvent themselves. It's not like someone yanked the rug out from underneath them. mg |
"Invite young people to hear your high-end system. What they don't know exists doesn't exist." There are more young people listening to music then ever. There are more people of all ages listening to music. And, there are more people listening to quality sound then ever. People are simply being more practical about their listening on one end and more advance and practical on the other. mg |
I agree with Mapman "These are the golden days of hifi. More to listen to than ever and lots of affordable ways to do it with very good sound quality." This is where I am at as well. Notice in the article the name "high performance audio" was used replacing "high end audio". This happened a few years back trying to increase interest. |
Actually inna I would consider all of my speaker designs to have their place and their place in design history. If I ever produce the "LOW" loudspeaker you’ll see a higher price tag again, but I would doubt there be more than 40-100 folks that would spring for them at just shy of $20,000.00 with all the trimming. I might be surprised but that’s what I would guess purely based on the age of High Enders getting up there. The Rev Combo however is a different story topping out at $8,000.00 fully loaded with all the trimming. The Rev6 starts at $1250.00. Hardly cheap, seeing that these are the only "Tunable" speakers on the market using real guitar boards as baffle boards. My drivers are made with LTRedwood baskets, hand voiced, I wouldn’t call that "cheap". So first lets define "cheap". I’m not and never have been "cheap", I’m fair and pour my soul into what I do. If you think that’s cheap okie dokie, but I think most owners today think they’ve hit the super audio jackpot when they get one of my speaker sets. Same goes for my other designs all the way up to the Tunable Rooms :) Now saying this, there has also been those who have had me design million+dollar systems in my life most of them putting the focus on the acoustics and full tunable system. When it comes to the electronics this is where I part from HEA. Everything I make, I make for a reason to produce music. Heavy chassis don’t produce music. So if I cut out the heavy chassis that’s part. Heavy heatsinks don’t produce music, there goes another chunk. I don’t like the sound of enclosed heavy transformers as compared to open transformer designs, that’s more cost to hack away at. Thick pc boards, nah, I again like the old style for tone. Bigger transformers next to chips, disaster. So when you start to see the parts and pieces come together for what I like to tune it starts to shape the pricing as well. The most expensive set of amps I had in last year were $30,000.00. They got stepped all over by almost every other amp I had in the house "Tuned" vs "Tuned". The company asked that I not mention their name as they bought the amps back from us. If some of you wish to change my meaning around to suit your narrative I don’t have a problem with that, Tunees are reading and that’s what counts. Everyone has their reasons to paint their own pictures. Michael Green |
To address inna’s remarks about full range and subwoofers. I find that the most popular audiophile setup is the 2.1 speaker system. 2 mains is cool, but not the most efficient way to get a room charged deep full range and soundstage complete. I have designed the Rev6 and Rev60 for around 30 years. Sorry inna but the newer Rev6 beats up on the old Rev80 and 80i. I don’t have a problem making custom designs with the bigger woofers by request but I’m really happy with the performance of the 6. The Rev6 Combo has been the jewel and so easy to set rooms up with. At the same time if someone wants to go multiple Sub wild I have several different Sub designs to allow the listener to define from 200hz down in different pressure zones of the room. With the super sub guys I have 5 different 15" drivers that I like to use that all have different tones and are of course tunable (I do 10"-18"). Some are free air Subs and some enclosed. 2, 3 or even 4 subs can be used but I always recommend going 2.1 at first so you can tune in your room first before going too crazy. The right amount of RoomTune and Rev setup is pretty darn good sounding. The Rev6 is full range, however having the Combo is pretty special for example, your playing one recording with perfect harmonics and extension and the very next recording sounds squeezed on the top end and shallow on the bottom. One or two simple adjustments and the new recording is sounding as full and balance as the first. This is where we are going as audiophiles. A more flexible hobby and more musically refined. So, inna maybe you wouldn't dig my speakers, don't know, but there seems to be a musical ear out there that they are hitting. And certainly the most flexible. |
LOL, from the latest review of the Rev6 "In my listening, these speakers strike an incredible balance between musical ease, refinement, clarity, punch, and spot-on harmonic completeness and accuracy. Paradoxically, they are able to exhibit effortless control and a sense of unbounded energy at the same time. I understand that Michael Green treats the drivers with a proprietary reinforcing compound, so that may be what’s behind this remarkable quality. I’ve done many a double take when I think I hear an actual piano, saxophone or cymbal playing while I’m in the other room on the computer. The attack and decay envelopes produced by the Rev6’s are fully rendered and precisely reproduced. In fact, this characteristic may be the speaker’s most identifiable quality and at the core of what makes the speaker sound so natural and realistic. The speaker’s rendering of all forms of percussion, for example, is simply head-turning and serves to naturally connect the listener’s body and soul to the music. Audiophile friends that have listened to my system have made similar comments about these speakers. I have never become fatigued listening to the Rev6’s." I like it when you guys sell products for me. And your obviously selling products for the new generation of audiophiles. Michael Green |
Keep in mind that the end of HEA does not mean the end of the audiophile. The audiophile and audiophile market is stronger than ever. Nor does this mean the expensive products will stop being built in the near future for those who believe they are the way to go. The end of HEA simply means the paradigm has changed from old to new. Higher price to lower price Higher mass to lower mass Higher heat to lower heat More crossover parts to fewer Fixed sound to variable sound One volume control to more control Harder to drive to easier to drive Playing less to able to play more mg |
Another CES article from Jan 30 2017 http://hometheaterreview.com/high-end-audio-at-ces-a-post-mortem/ |
Here’s an important post "For most of my audiophile journey, the manufacturers and reviewers held the power, promising me euphoria, as I hung on their every word, and gazed at every ad. They were able to keep me in a state of constant yearning and ever-hopeful purchasing." ____________________________________________ The HEA revolving door was a plan to keep people buying, and we did. We kept buying till we got to the point where we became the masters of our own sound. From that point on our systems sounded better than reviewed systems and trade show setups. Lets be honest HEA trade show setups sound pretty bad. There haven’t been many good sounding shows since the mid 1990’s. The HEA selling machine started to loose clients around that same time. I don’t see this as a bad thing but good thing, we matured as listeners. Reviewers and reviews are here to get us started. From that point forward your sound is up to you. The more advanced we get as listeners the more we move away from the starting gate and get onto the exploring of music. Every week I have people coming to me because they are in the middle of their soundstage and want to take it further. They want or have moved beyond the sales pitch and have gotten serious about the hobby of Tuning in their music. How many of them read this forum? Probably a few, but mostly these are guys and gals who have entered a deeper exploration stage that goes past brands and on to a "Method of Listening" (Method of Tuning). MG |
Press is starting to be released about products at the up coming CES. Here’s a couple http://www.wifihifi.ca/LatestNewsHeadlines/KantotoDebutTUKHigh-EndPoweredSpeakeratCES2019.html |
And here we go.... http://www.cnet.com/news/ces-2019-14-questions-techs-biggest-show-needs-to-answer/ I usually hang out with one of the Qualcomm guys (who happens to be a Tunee). He will probably be stopping by for a listen. Fun times. |
http://www.stereophile.com/content/ces-2019-unleashed It's not the CES that is dead, the place is exploding with excitement and innovation. It's the HEA section that has died. Talking to several people here who are attending the CES the question that comes up is how does HEA attract the now generation if they don't have ties to an organization like the CES to piggy back. All the young dudes spreading the news are at the CES. If HEA is going to be a part of the audio community again it will need to reinvent itself in a way that appeals to todays listener. I'm not even sure using HEA as a name or even high performance will be enough. It might even be a turn off. It was a mistake for HEA press and designers to get so wrapped up in high priced audio instead of quality sounding audio "at any price". Playing the snob for those many years did nothing but kill the enthusiasm of the audiophile. JVS's report to me looks like back peddling. How does Stereophile for example after years of upselling and only covering the top come back down to earth with credibility. It feels like either they were not all that honest about the top or have to find a way to sell their opinions without price tags qualifying sound this next time around. And, do it smoothly enough that no one notices. Low mass tunable innovators, this is your opportunity to capture the audiophile's attention. The audio signal is variable and tunable, this is the future and the few the grab it will be the winners. MG |
The articles are coming out and the buzz of this CES is "innovation has arrived". What's interesting is that it's not a matter of getting rid of the in-room system, just the opposite, entertainment rooms are staying. And even more so the whole house is becoming smart to AV. 30 years of audio and video systems being pieced together is finally paying off and designed for the now. It's for sure a different look but it's easy to see where we are going and I like it. Many on HEA forums talk about how the mini headphone (ear bud) has replaced the in-room system but that's not what I saw happening. I don't see the in-room system going anywhere. In fact I see the whole house now as an entertainment venue. We're moving from bulky to a style that is going to allow the room to perform better. This isn't anything new some will say, but I disagree. It's becoming modern, organized and variable. Michael |
