More potential bad news for some big names...

@mahler123

Apple makes more money on Ear Buds than the entire commercial speaker market.

Is this true or were you illiterating our senescence and encouraging obsolescence?

Just maybe high end hifi will make a come back as, despite the apple watch, the luxury watch world has life anew.

The tonic of music is a given. There’s that too.

Often I see a very nice car inside a mall, airport or store. Imagine if audio displays were scattered about in such a way. Once music is heard in such an indelible way the hook goes in.

As long as our ears remain "analog" we will need good speakers and amps to move air around (and the cables to connect them).

This audio thing is a moving target.  Those manfacturers who put their fingers on the pulse and fully resonant with the end user will be okay.  Unless, of course, they do something incredible stupid.  Which could happen.

Going to be interesting to see what happens.  Hope the legacy brands stick around for a couple of more decades, or until to break my neck on my 90th birthday -- pole vaulting.  Which ever comes first.

I think many people didn't realize the interconnected nature of the global economy, especially when it came to small parts/component suppliers and how a simple shutdown can cause slowdowns/shutdowns further up the pipeline. Then while everyone was stuck at home with $ they couldn't spend, they went on shopping sprees, renovation sprees, home-buying sprees, etc. and demand outpaced supply which caused prices to skyrocket on top of the cost implications of the strained supply chain of "just in time" stocking.  Years later, most of the world outside of the US is still climbing out of the Covid hole. Supply chains, retailers and manufacturers are "finally" getting back to "normal" but the prices are never going to return to the pre-Covid days. Regardless of what any politician tells you. The only way we get prices down to "back in the day" levels is a deep recession or depression. Which, I don't think anyone wants here. Whether some hi-fi brands disappear or not as consolidation continues, I think the mid-fi market of products will grow while you still have a few companies making high-end, high-priced gear for the 1%, many of us will make do with "reasonably" priced $1-2K integrated amps or go the used route as the older hi-fi enthusiasts' gear is put up for sale by a widow or family estate.

But again, as we all know, none of us really know what will happen 6 months from now let alone 1 or 2 years from now. 

Having worked in the industry for 30 plus year, the writing of this demise really started in the 80's. The audio market started the transition then from shopping for each and every component (as this group still does), to buying pre-packaged all-in-one systems. The masses didn't care enough about the quality of sound and just wanted a simple buying experience. Then things shrunk to mini bookshelf systems and boom boxes. Fast forward, and now most get their music off their phones. I don't know what the actual percentage was, but I would guess somewhere between 50-70% of homes (through the 70's), had some sort of stereo system with a "record player" in their home. Now I would bet that number is way less than 25% of anything that resembles a stereo system. The audio manufactures (mainstream), dug themselves into this mess, and I doubt it will ever change. With the reduction in sales, it is no wonder brands are experiencing financial hardship. Look at how many of the main stream names of the 70's and 80's are gone. Hopefully the industry can survive, but what has started is likely to be the trend of the future.

Restaurants are absolutely packed where I live. It amazes me how much people spend eating out and on bar tabs these days. I couldn’t do that when I was their age unless I wanted to be a slave to the CC companies.

IMO, below is the number one reason for these companies struggle as noted in the article.

"The changing consumer market"

My kids have very little interest in large speakers and components. Even surround sound systems are not in vogue now and sound bars etc are much more common. The audiophile crowd has small manufacturers to turn to like never before and also a big selection of used equipment. Just a tough market except for super high end equipment being sold in lesser qty’s. Those that can afford this will buy what they want without price constraints so there are margins to be had.

I see companies like schit, cambridge and others finding a niche in the midfi market with small equipment that takes up less space and has minimal controls.

Your traditional recievers, components etc may be becoming a thing of the past.