Why do all audio forums on the internet seem "dead" ?

"I could consult you on this real good but I will ask others to do it."

What did that comment mean inna?

I have absolutely no agenda, I simply want free speech to prevail.

You don't understand how the market works. There are no free-speech guarantees on any private forums, including this one.

You made numerous false claims in your initial post, so why should readers believe what else you have to say about a forum against which you apparently have an agenda?

@constitutionalist

Your above post is breathtakingly ignorant.

This comment

There is NO discussion in regard to vaccines, you either get one or you are banned from the forum.

suggests clearly that you have an agenda, and no interest in facts. There are a number of active threads on the SHF about vaccines. One, entitled "If you've had it, what was your reaction to your second covid vaccine shot?", has over 1500 replies. Another, entitled "Getting my Covid shot in 6 days" has 93 responses and counting.

There are warnings not to get political on the topic, but that is absolutely within the right of any forum owner, and also understandable, if you have any clue about the tremendous burden of moderating comments on "hot-button" topics. The same warning applies broadly, which is typical of most forums.

I have no idea what your issue is with LGBT, but that Hoffman may be sympathetic to that community's rights should be irrelevant to anyone who is interested in talking about audio. No one who doesn't want to has to take part in the two – TWO – LBGT-focussed threads that I can find, one of which, incidentally, is solely about music.

Your assertion that the LGBT is somehow central to Hoffman making money through the site is also dubious. Can you provide a shred of evidence to support it? Same question for your $400,000 in earnings claim.

I won't be holding my breath.

@constitutionalist  Thanks for the info.
So basically, as is so typical with liberals, they cancel anyone with an opinion that differs from theirs. Sad.
I've never posted there and looks like I never will. 

I love your name, btw.

I could consult you on this real good but I will ask others to do it.

I can honestly say that I have changed my daily routine of visiting forums, to maybe twice a week, and then I only look at and read maybe 1 or two posts on any given site. Sometimes, most times, I might reply to one.

You guys should feel lucky, you got my one for today.

Well, I think this thread is kind of proof that at least this particular forum is not quite dead. I have some complaints too, so what? The biggest one is that for whatever reasons many very knowledgeable old timers rarly post if ever. Showing off your equipment is not a sin, but if it is the only thing that you do, yeah, it does become boring and a little irritating.

Shadorne obviously thinks quite highly of himself and very little of most others.  If we have our own thoughts or personal idiosyncrasies or God forbid have a passion and or the means to pursue it, then we are below consideration and should be ignored.  Perhaps someday we can all just assemble a mix of audio equipment with a subjectively random pedigree and put it in a box on the wall....now that is something to hope for!

Uh, oh. Another runaway from Hydrogen Audio?

Brutal.  :-)

+1 for Shadorne hit it right out of the ball park. Of course you'll get lots of backlash though. Brutal honesty is a hard pill to have to swallow..

Shadorne wrote,

"There are some here who genuinely appreciate music and have good ears but they are drowned out by tin foil hatters and all manner of special unproven but "fantastic" tweaks (the grossly expensive speaker and interconnect cables being a clear example of the ridiculousness of these forums when a decent XLR or ordinary cable will do)

I deliberately left these forums for several years and just came back to check and see if anything had changed - it hasn’t - forums are still stuck in aimless rambling, hyperbole and anecdotes as they were 10 years ago when I first joined.

I got better things to do! So long and thanks for the fish!"

Define grossly expensive. And haven’t folks been whining about expensive cables for 35 years? Aimless rambling, hyperbole and anecdotes? Gee, you don’t say?  Thanks for checking in and thanks for the tirade.  See ya back in three years.

Cheers,

In addition, I am not sure what 'you' mean by Classic equipment, but there is not lack of it out there.  The problem, now, is that it's quality is acknowledged, and the prices reflect that.  I was having my tube amp repaired, and I was at my 'repair guy's' place last week.  He purchases, and refurbishes classic McIntosh tube gear.  By the looks of things at his place, he may have cornered the market of Classic Mc equipment. ;)  

Well, if you speak of Audiogon, those of us who have been around for a number of years, know that Audiogon shot themself in the foot a few years back. Although this site now appears ’slicker’, it just ain’t the same. Too much of this site’s sale’s ads are from dealers. This is a much larger percentage than prior to Audiogon’s changing ownership. It is sad, as it does seem that the ability to sell a good item, has decreased markedly since 2011.

I think the forums are useless - that is why.

They are inhabited by those trumping their own latest high priced expenditures (to justify things in their own mind more than anything else). They are further fuelled into aimless merry-go-round equipment changes by the clever "fear and bogus science" marketing of savvy dealers, sellers and boutiques (you know who you are).

There are some here who genuinely appreciate music and have good ears but they are drowned out by tin foil hatters and all manner of special unproven but "fantastic" tweaks (the grossly expensive speaker and interconnect cables being a clear example of the ridiculousness of these forums when a decent XLR or ordinary cable will do)

I deliberately left these forums for several years and just came back to check and see if anything had changed - it hasn't - forums are still stuck in aimless rambling, hyperbole and anecdotes as they were 10 years ago when I first joined.

I got better things to do! So long and thanks for the fish!

I think one major reason that audio forums seem slow is Facebook - where people at least ostensibly have to post using their real names. That tends to make for a better signal to noise ratio. Contributors are a lot less likely to be snarky or pompous when readers actually know who they are.

Yamaha and Denon stuff with Monster Studio links....the Denon CD player wasn't half bad but the overall sound wasn't even close.  But that's me....most musicians don't own or care for stereo systems.  Enjoy what you does it for you....some like redheads and others prefer blondes.  I'm a brunette guy....they all have the same parts, they just perform differently under certain dynamic conditions:)

I’m guessing Crown and Peavey.

I understand and I am happy that you have found an alternative mode of enjoyment.  I must warn you however, I also did what you are doing now and regretted it later.  One day I played my favorite music and it sunk in that the glorious sound I had taken for granted was gone and I began to really hear the replacement Pro stuff for what it was...great sound reinforcement!

Fair enough Coli. Tascam huh, have to look into that one.

Yeah, it's pointless bashing at snake oils. It's just I'm still kinda pissed about how much money I'm going to lose on them.

The best bang for the buck is definitely used pro audio equiptments, the 5.1 system I'm building now cost a fraction of my previous stereo setup, and there is just no comparison.

Ah, to be a fly on the wall during some of these magical sonic experiences....one person's nirvana is another's nails on a chalk board!  If we are going to pretend to have exceptional sound then please site the recordings used and describe what you are hearing in detail.

I believe you coli ! As much as it would be nice to spread the word , not much worth shouting from the rooftops on this site though . I have a macmini i use ,so usb is my only connection i can used . Picked up this thing called a Duet2 by Apogee . It is a usb interface . i do not even know everything it is intended for but it works as a dac / volume controller . Absolute transparency . Every amp /speaker i use it on has limitless power/ volume attenuation . I am afraid to test the limits of volume before distortion as i know i will blow up something .And sounds better than any multi thousand preamp or dacs i have used in the past . Picked it up for $300 on craigslist . Pretty cool .

Sorry, I still got like $8000+ worth of audiophile equips that I need to sell. So not going to say what it is. But here's a freebie since I sold all my audiophile DACs already. The TASCAM UH-7000 is an unbelievable value. Beats multiple $3000+ audiophile DACs...

bcoz someone always wants more.

OK Coil, I'll bite. I'm with Mapman here, what exactly is this $80.00  active monitor that blows away 1000 dollars audio systems. Find it hard to believe, so do tell.

Think your over the heads of most on this thread now...of course given that our existence is but a holographic 3 dimensional projection of a 2 dimensional reality, 2 channel audio's attempt to re-create a 3 dimensional soundstage is poetic...don't you think!

She collapsed in his arms, her soul superimposed on his.

Relatively speaking, Einstein had a point....and I think she got the thrust of it!

Dave_b wrote,

"When you demo two preamps in the same system and then separate them, after installing the other preamp into another system, when you turn one preamp on, the other turns off....no matter how far apart the two preamps are! They call it spooky audio at a distance....apparently God does play dice with our audio."

Good one. Cough, cough....

Einstein is lying in bed with a pretty lass, smoking a cigarette. The pretty lass pouts, geez, that didn’t take long. Then Einstein says, it took a very long time for me.

Actually there are oodles of brands to pick from these days and not all of them are uber expensive.  Pricing for the high end stuff relative to the market demand is appropriate.  As was stated, more people have access to better sound for less money overall, which moves the bar up for what people are willing to buy to improve there already decent sound.  Market forces and dismal long range forecasts also subdue enthusiasm.  I agree that the major improvements in audio were made back in the late 80's through the 90's.  Once the GREEN contingent started influencing design, many horrid sounding products were unleashed.  Combine all these factors with the iPod generation and you have a drastically reduced audiophile market.  Thanks Obama!  Couldn't resist:)

Maybe everyone is listening to music :-)

Coli which active monitors?   Thanks. 

Basically what shadorne said. I got a $80 active monitor that just blows away thousand dollar audiophile system right now... I bought it for the lulz because it was so stupid cheap but was completely blown away... I really shouldn’t be bashing audiophile market until I got my last few thousand dollar plus equiptments sold though. Oh well.

When you demo two preamps in the same system and then separate them, after installing the other preamp into another system, when you turn one preamp on, the other turns off....no matter how far apart the two preamps are!  They call it spooky audio at a distance....apparently God does play dice with our audio.

r_f_sayles wrote,

"I meant your "taste" in preamps geoffkait"

I assumed when you said you liked my state in preamps you were making a quantum mechanics inside joke. ;-)

I meant your "taste" in preamps geoffkait 

He's back. He's rested.  And he's bashing audiophiles again. 

Well on the bright side there's lots of buzz about audiophile fuses and quantum stickers these days.   Maybe all the big fish have already been fried.  😳

Shandorne, you have painted a pretty bleak picture of a self inflicted wound which I don’t find so true. There is some of that but always, I hardly see it as the driving reason for a dwindling market. Rather I believe the economy not recovering for most since the crash has both the new and used product markets soft and reluctant when it comes to luxury goods. I don’t see anything like the quantity or variety of high quality, sought after, gear being listed here, like the days of past crash. And there is a whole lot of low balling or nothing going on with what is listed here. Many people apparently just don’t have the discretionary funds, and those who do are putting it on the market or, sitting pat IMHO. The boomers post crash, now have to look at their nest egg and market recuperation timing more closely. The boom days are gone.

When you factor in the decline of younger audiophiles and the diminishing older generation, combined with the affluent audio jewelry crowd who mostly support the big name boondoggles...the likes of us audio lovers who grew up spinning vinyl on mix n match vintage gear in a darkened basement are far and few between.

geoffkait, I do like your state in preamps. Wish I could get a listen to the DartZeel.

Shadorne,

I'd read DCS is abandoning the pro market.  Have you heard/read anything to that effect?

+1 Shadorne

r_f_sayles,

I'll take the new DartZeel preamp at $23,250.  You can have your pick of the rest.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/dartzeel2/preamp.html

cheers,

geoff at machina dramatica

The pro market is doing great!

There are three reasons for the demise of audiophile 

1. Snake oil


2. Snake oil


3. Snake oil


There are a few other reasons being that the quality in general of audio products peaked in the late 80's. Audiophiles went ever further into crazy pursuits in order to continue what was a legitimate search in the old days when most systems were inadequate. Boutique Manufacturers ended up building designs that were like fashion clothes - no longer accurate but incredibly colourful and justified these designs with bogus science. Then home theatre came along and video killed the radio star! Now people have an attention span of less than a minute - so I don't see it changing. The Digitsl loudness wars has also ruined music quality to the point it is impossible to fix a crap product no matter how much you spend on a home system.

In short, audio in general became very good and the "cause or mission" became aimless once good sound was easily attainable to all. 

Pro market is different. There is still room for improvement (loudness, dynamics, accuracy, reliability, portability, IEM monitors etc) but the target market is musicians and producers who look for more than just sound quality at low listening levels with little in the way of dynamics.

jafant: No, some of us wish we were "high".