Where Coming Back

Thanks. Anything that turns people on to music is good. If they appreciate quality reproduction, better. If they buy better equipment, great. Because, it keeps the companies alive-innovating, improving, and competitive.

This excerpt made me smile:

"For years, the typical high-end audio customer has been a white-haired classical music aficionado or an aging rock fan for whom listening to “Aja” in 1977 on a pair of Altec Lansings was a spiritual experience."

Bucanero117 wrote,

"Article in the New York Times today indicating big buck audio is coming back."

Actually, the article indicates no such thing. Quite the opposite. It's talking about getting good sound on a budget. He-looo!

Looks to me that it's more like "big buck audio companies are desperately trying to lasso the younger market."

"Where Coming Back," indeed!

I thought I herd something too that affect, but leave it too the New York Times to bee the one to bare the gnus.
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coming back to what ??

i read the ny times article. my take is the customer base for mega buck systems, is declining, and is being replaced with less expensive turntable-based systems, or less expensive "server" based digital systems.

all you have to consider is the number of dealers who have gone out of business over the last two or three years.

The article tells me that some younger people are beginning to appreciate quality of sound over quantity.

Bodes well for audio manufacturers, mega buck or not.

Best.

Long Live VINYL!

Nice read, but of course a few cases cited as examples in an article does not necessarily mean anything is "coming back".

I like this part though:

"And while many audio companies have struggled or gone under in the wake of the iPod’s popularity, the iPod has also created millions of potential audiophiles. “You have a whole generation getting music over the Internet, from streaming, tablets, iPhones,” Mr. Brown said. “It’s introduced many more people to music.”"

High end audio community of snotty dinosaurs: Hint, hint, nod, nod, wink wink, eh?

"listening to “Aja” in 1977 on a pair of Altec Lansings was a spiritual experience."

Yes it was, baby, but I preferred to listen on OHM Hs. :^)

Darn younger generation just doesn't get it....

I listen to my daughters Ipod on occasion when out of the house and gotta say an Ipod touch these days with decent earbuds is probably more enjoyable than most stereos from 30-40 years ago. I hope we don't go back to those.

Where other than here would anyone pine for "big buck" anything to come back.

Yes, that's what I want, for everything to cost even MORE than it usually does already. :^<

Like many "assignment" type articles, it really doesn't tell the uninformed all that much, and for those who are more in the know (ourselves), it's sort of a bland rehash, with a few "real life" examples trotted out to support the writer's position.
I do believe that quality sound reproduction will be sustained in it's current (and past) limited form by those who inherit the interest from parents or other friends or realtives, or simply because they stumbled upon it accidentally like the one young man in the article, and then their love of music leads them to persue it further.

The comments are better than the article...

I agree. It will be interesting how it all plays out.

The high end store Excaliber in Alexandria closed it's doors around 1986, signaling the death of high end.

Excaliber was a great store. I bought my first high end pre-amp; a CJ PV-7 there when I was just out of college. While my friends were buying their first cars, I was buying audio equipment. Walking through all those rooms at that store and seeing all the equipment I'd been reading about in TAS was very impressive for a young kid like me.

Geoffkait-The Late 80's were the beginning of home theater systems for the masses not the death of hi-end-audio. HEA rebounded in the 90's with better cd playback and the acceptance(of some) with the importance of cables, vibration control and even the early stages of powerline quality. The Y2K decade brought the resurgence of vinyl and the vast improvement in smaller speakers. Currently pc audio is slowly being refined. My point is there will always be people that will search for the "best" sound regardless of the software format. Just like Rock n Roll HEA will never die!

Dayglow, looks good on paper. I suspect the masses just want more and more convenience and not too concerned with the sound quality except in a general kind of way. I am pretty sure there are a lot less audio stores today, not more, since Excaliber closed its doors in the 80s. Unless less is more. lol. The "vast improvement in small speakers" is probably not a good example for making your point with respect to the resurgence of High End Audio. In addition, if I can be so bold, CD players and Blu Ray players these days sound rather generic, lifeless and threadbare, at least off the shelf ones, just like they always used to. Lol. Maybe that explains the resurgence of vinyl.

Just like Rock n Roll HEA will never die!

Exactly!

Long live the 'high' end!

Geoffkait-Your right there are less "brick and mortar" stores now then in the late 80's, and I do agree home theater created a small setback for 2/channel HEA. As stated before the 90's was a decade of refinement and new discoveries. I disagree that the improvement in small speakers did not help the HEA industry. Many don't have the room, finances, or WAF to accommadate a large speaker thus a high quality monitor will help keep current and attract new audiophiles.

I am with you Dayglow..... Yet, finances are the underlaying issue. Too many toys and not enough money! Back in the 80's when I started this crazy hobby, I had a lot less monthly payments. Now, internet, satellite TV, cell phones and the list goes on.....

the customer base for expensive gear is declining.

i would also suggest that the purchases, as measured in revenue, of so-called high-end gear is also declining.

therefore, the industry known as high end is one of supply exceeding demand. such is not a recipe for success.

I dunno, I go to CES and I don't see these companies hurting for the most part. Unless it's all a big tax write-off combined with smoke and mirrors.