The Mainstreaming of Audiophilia


So I found this just goofy enough to be fun: I picked up the May issue of GQ today and found in it a feature which takes a survey of cost-no-object material goods and provides a verdict for each on whether they're worth it. Among the few worth-it winners: Wilson Audio's Alexandra X-2, at $148,000 a pair (hence the speakers forum). The losers include Kobe beef, white truffles, pricey golf clubs, and a night in the Ty Warner suite at Four Seasons (all of which go for a lot less).

It seems to me I've lately seen a decent amount of mainstream press coverage of audiophile goods and issues, from news coverage of the evils of dynamic compression to general-readership features on great headphones, high-end speakers, and the wonders of vinyl. I was wondering if anyone else had noticed incidences of this trend and if we might compile a list--it seems positive to me, and a possible outgrowth of, or reaction against, iPod mania.
ablang

Showing 2 responses by ablang

I'm not so sure about the boomer demographic alone being the target, as part of what I'm interested in here is the depiction of great audio equipment not only as a pleasure but as a component of--in this example--the (for many aspirational) good life. I agree, Chadnliz, that some people might look at six-figure speakers and scoff, but many might scoff at the $1.5 million Bugatti the article I mention features, too. Both look pretty cool, are well crafted, and exemplify what's possible at the top of the scale. Even if the examples are out of reach, they get people's interest--and I've seen lower priced gear like Pro-Ject's USB TT featured elsewhere.

I live in a college town and in the past year have started to see Grado SR60s and SR80s and some decent Sennheiser cans replacing earbuds and Bose. Media exposure can't hurt--and I think the message is getting in through people's ears.