I read the following on barrons.com just moments ago and was shocked to think what folks are missing who have never had “industrial strength audio equipment”.
BARRON’S
By Randall W. Forsyth
Oct. 4, 2019 8:58 pm ET
The 50th anniversary remix edition of the Beatles’ Abbey Road was just released. Even though I already own a pristine British pressing of the original vinyl LP and the 2009 remastered CD, I will buy a copy of the new version to examine further what is the apotheosis of the group’s work. And it will be through big speakers powered by a big amplifier, not through little white thingies dangling out of my ears.
All of which sounds anachronistic. As my former Barron’s colleague Joe Queenan writes, “Industrial-strength audio equipment vanished from the living room long ago.” Now it’s largely relegated to the so-called man cave, supplanted by spouse-friendly tiny smart speakers that emit sounds, but not music that engulfs you, as audio systems did when Abbey Road was released a half-century ago.
END
An mp3 player or smart phone may be convenient to listen to the music that helps you get through tedious jobs like raking leaves outside or cleaning the rain gutters that are beyond the range of an industrial strength sound system, but it will never replace the big sound of a serious system in my house.
Am I that out of touch with the present day that all folks want is a 192kb encoded mp3 played through tiny ear buds?
Every time I let someone listen to my system, they seem amazed.
I just don’t understand these kids today!
Your thoughts?
