What a sad world we now live in.......

All due respect but buying on line is not the culprit in and of itself as a reason to "miss" anything or be "sad". In many ways, its like lamenting the fact that you don't have to churn your butter any more or reminiscing about the days before refrigeration.

Its just so much better to browse everything available (in the world, not in your local 5 and dime) and make a purchase and get it immediately. No starting a car, no going from place to place to place to try to find what you are after or worse, having to wait days or weeks for the special order to arrive at the store for you to repeat the above process of driving to go pick it up.

I remember walking through walmart with my late father and he said he missed the days of going to the record shop and getting to hear a record prior to making a purchase. Now that would have been great, avoiding the mistake of guessing whether the album was good or not. Those record booths are now back with a vengeance, you can listen to everything prior to buying and get it immediately. I'm sorry pop didn't get to see it come back in a virtual way. The one thing missing in all of these examples though is the loss of the social interaction with others while digging a new record. That never existed at walmart anyway.

Please don't be sad...today is the golden age of audio and music. Never have so many companies been making high quality gear. Never. Never have so many artists been able to record and distribute their music. Never. In both cases, they can take it directly to the consumer with a supply chain velocity that was impossible 20 years ago. Celebrate today, embrace it that someone in rural Montana can get a symphonic release put out an hour ago in Munich. Celebrate that they get a decent rig shipped to their door in a day or 2.

@inna 


"If you only do streaming you are not audiophile in any sense of it. You can imagine about yourself anything you like - this won't change the reality of things. As one aspect - cds when done right still sound better than streaming. This comes from someone who doesn't accept digital as a serious method of recording and reproduction."

Since I (and most of the people I know) don't refer to myself as an audiophile, that's no biggie. As far as your statement regarding streaming, you might consider that you haven't heard everything. Many would disagree with you, however, many might not. I don't even own a physical disk spinner any more, vinyl or digital, hifi or computer...no spinning disks allowed at my place. I'm sure there are many who would consider that heresy but proper downloads and a proper digital playback setup can be scary good...without the hassles.

Sure I miss the rituals on occasion, I used to enjoy watching my VPI record cleaning machine with the vacuum do its thing.  That was cool, and noisy.  I enjoyed opening a fresh album, recording it to my Revox reel to reel on the first play. getting it all just right. It was fun. I enjoyed watching the tape machine operate much like I enjoy a mechanical watch. Its not as accurate but its cool.  Your blanket statement though lacks any credibility whatsoever. I'm sure your vinyl setup sounds great but for people who have a wide array of interests, the amount of time/money/space that it takes to get an analog setup just right may not be worth the trouble to them.

As for the demise of malls and big box stores...really? We will know the apocalypse is upon us if sunglasses kiosks and corn dog vendors begin to disappear.

Wow! Folks, this is just hifi!!!

First, Physical media isn’t disappearing but the cost of producing it, shipping it, the costs on the environment, these things wont get less expensive which is why virtual delivery is the dominant path forward.

Second, Walmart was never a player in the music biz. Delivered the mainstream top 40 and country. Hmmm. Additionally, the direct sales model of music is actually better for the musicians...once they discover that it is called the music business for a reason.

Finally, the railing against a changing world isn’t going to help you have wonderful days. People have been complaining about or embracing change since the beginning of time. Why not get up each day and appreciate the wonders that await?

Wake up each day and choose to make the world a better place. Thankfully Jonas Salk got up each day and tried something different. Someone decided once to hook up 2 speakers rather than one. Thankfully someone decided 78rpm just introduced too many artifacts and was too limiting.

See the world as half full and you will discover that there are 50 manufacturers today building better gear than could be bought 25 years ago. Happiness is a choice...

@inna 

Are you ok? Not trying to put you on the spot but your words go beyond the usual “I miss the good old days” (which were not all that great BTW) that is far too often spoken here on Audiogon by a few. The bitterness communicated was probably unintentional but nonetheless worrisome.  Everyone and every thing must change. Even those who resist change are in a constant state of change, please don’t miss out on the opportunities that surround each of us every day.

Distribution methods and channels of distribution have changed radically in the past and will continue to do so. Always have and always will.  Why the angst? 

@kahlenz


Well said!
+1

In everything that changes, there are tradeoffs. With high quality streaming, maybe some of the religious experience has been lost, the walking over to one’s wall of lp’s or cd’s, picking one, cleaning it a bit, placing it on or inside the playback device, returning to one’s seat between the gargantuan speakers in the solitary chair and listening. Repeat for next album, etc.

With streaming, sit in that same chair and do it all from a tablet. BUT, here is where it gets interesting. The kids in the next room with their half dozen friends can access the same library and play their selections while the parents are enjoying a cocktail on the back patio listening to their selections. I have my entire library on my Nucleus Plus and have 2 backups, one at home and one at the office. At my office I have a audio wonderful setup there as well so I always have access to all my owned music as well as Qobuz and Tidal through Roon. People come in and out of my office all day, they hear music playing and often comment favorably on the music and the playback quality. I’ll have brief but sometimes lengthy discussions about the different music I am playing, their favorite music and then since I have immediate access to basically everything...I will play their favorite music over a high quality system and several have purchased their first (humble) high end gear. It’s often the first time many young people have ever seen tubes let alone understood their virtues.

so, all the hand wringing is valid if you happen to feel it is. The lamenting that there will no longer be a social hour at the Walmart CD bin. The mourning that a certain record store closed as the end of an era has got to stop. Water either flows around obstructions or pushes them downstream. With a limited perspective, some may say that the social aspects of music are gone forever. I would posit that just like the music formats have changed over the years, the way that the social interaction happens has shifted as well...like at my office.

All the whining about change is really tiresome. Im presently in my mid fifties but have chosen to live in an area where outdoor recreation and an active lifestyle is the norm. Alot of people where I live listen to alot of music but they are on the go more frequently so they listen on their mobile devices. They also take time to listen to the wind, to streams (water in this case), waterfalls, birds chirping and singing. Oh, and plenty of live music. Every generation is certain that when their norms are being disrupted that everyone’s in the same boat. Not hardly! Heck, clothing stores around here don’t even carry pants/slacks in waist sizes larger than 36 or rarely size 38. Not a pair of “dad jeans” in sight.

Get out of the basement, there’s a great big beautiful world out there.

@audioguy85

Hey, its all good. Its cool to miss the good old days and think back fondly. The irony for me is that I put myself through undergrad working at a book and record shop in the early 1980’s. Those were the days before soundhound and other eservices so, when someone would come in and sing a part of a song it was my job to name that tune LOL. Sold alot of Allman Brothers and the Anarchist’s Cookbook along with zen and the art of motorcycle repair.

I too miss those great times and I also regret that today’s young people don’t get that experience. I further regret that today’s youth can’t send themselves to college with a menial job. Oh well, I learned alot about dealing with the public and how to ask someone nicely to leave. That was fun....