Death of Hi-Fi

[Ohmen]

I read this article today in the paper. It's a AP article on digital music etc.. Thought I would share the link.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MUSIC_LO_FI_AMERICA_GENT-?SITE=WIFON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

 

[highfihoney]

What a poorly written article,sounds like a sales pitch to me plus its the 1st place ive ever seen somebody admit that cd's sound better.

 

[MDS]

It's the same kind of argument I've seen before and really just extrapolates current trends to conclude that 'hi fi' is dead.

I fully embrace digital music, just not low bit-rate MP3 purchased from an online music store. I still want the full uncompressed version with the flexibility to convert it to any format I want at any time.

My philosophy is that CDs are the delivery medium, not the playback medium. I buy CDs and rip them and save the uncompressed WAV. I then transcode th WAV to MP3 at 192 kbps. So for me, the CD is the physical archive to be locked away in the media storage cabinet in case I ever need to rip it again. If you don't have a physical backup and your entire collection exists only a hard drive, you are toast if/when the drive dies and you don't have multiple copies of it somewhere.

Playing the WAVs or even the MP3s is far more convenient than picking a CD or two to put in the player. I have my entire collection at my fingertips and usually just use random play unless there is a specific song or genre that I feel like hearing.

 

[j_garcia]

That specific song part, is part of the downfall... That is sort of what the new Porcupine Tree album is about too. Steve Wilson did an interview on what it was about and specifically commented on the fact that you now have a generation of people who can listen to only the songs they want which discourages them from listening to albums, meaning the whole body of work. This means there is also no reason for an artist to really even make a complete album anymore, nor for that album to have a "story", meaning or message. This IS a big part of the sway of digital music, and I agree with Steve, I don't particularly like it.

 

[emorphien]

I didn't realize Porcupine Tree had a new album out.

Neato.

J_garcia, do you have a link to that Steve Wilson interview?

Without reading that, I have to agree with the sentiment of this thread. At 24 I am quite probably the only person my age I know who will sit back and listen to a whole album all the way through. A lot of albums these days don't carry a message, theme or story throughout, but there are still bands out there that do that. I believe many of these albums are designed so that you really should listen through the whole thing, a lot of the meaning of each song and the sound and style is built on the previous and the next. To just pick out to two "best" tracks, while good on their own, misses much of the point the artist might have been trying to get across.

I'd say that it's only a few out of every 10 or so CDs I buy that really are a complete album anymore, many are a collection of excellent tracks on their own but fewer and fewer are a complete album that works together as a whole. There have always been albums like that, but it seems more common now to not try to make complete albums and I think everyone is right, that the ability to buy (or not) and download single tracks has had a big impact on this kind of creativity. Making a couple hits on the album isn't easy, making a solid album that plays from beginning to end with a flow and meaning is a lot more significant.

 

[j_garcia]

http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/uncut/special_features/9598

Click on "click here" and it will stream the interview which also has some clips from the new album. The album comes out on Tues!!!!

For me, I listen to an album and find that there are tracks on there that I like more than the ones that get radio play. Having all the tracks gives me the opportunity to listen to a wider range and get a better feel for what was going on with the band at the time and I really like that. I don't buy an album to hear one song, I want to hear the whole thing.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I read this article today in the paper. It's a AP article on digital music etc.. Thought I would share the link.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MUSIC_LO_FI_AMERICA_GENT-?SITE=WIFON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

If this is what it costs to get started

Audio High, his high-end stereo shop in Mountain View, sells things like a $5,000 needle for your turntable and stereo cable at $2,700 a meter.

Well, no wonder. But, there is other issues with hi-fidelity that may be the cause. Today, people want it cheap, easy, on the go, etc. Same with other consumer marketplace.

 

[stratman]

If this is what it costs to get started

Audio High, his high-end stereo shop in Mountain View, sells things like a $5,000 needle for your turntable and stereo cable at $2,700 a meter.

Well, no wonder. But, there is other issues with hi-fidelity that may be the cause. Today, people want it cheap, easy, on the go, etc. Same with other consumer marketplace.

Well that's why it's called Audio High, you really have to be high to buy this stuff!

 

[emorphien]

Click on "click here" and it will stream the interview which also has some clips from the new album. The album comes out on Tues!!!!

Thanks for the link... also after seeing your post I pre-ordered the CD/DVD "special edition."

 

[Ampdog]

Yah well - this is new? (I mean in general)

But I am surprised. Here in South Africa home theatre affected stereo-of-old sales, but pocket editions of whatever? I wonder if fewer Ferraris (to go somewhat over the top) are sold since little "pocket cars" came on the market.

Regarding the article; the usual technical trash written by hopeful clueless journalists. Digital instead of CDs?? Nice distortion? I would say that the midi-fi market might suffer. Also I remember reading that Cds' days are numbered long ago; new non-mechanical (and I don't mean MP3) technology have been perfected some time ago, but cannot be marketed because expense on CD/equipment have not yet been recouperated, and so on. I am no longer in regular contact with magazines; others would know more.

I would think about this no longer than it is now going to take me to go to another thread here.

 

[j_garcia]

Thanks for the link... also after seeing your post I pre-ordered the CD/DVD "special edition."

I'm curious what will be on the DVD....but I think I will just pick up the CD and wait for the DVD-A

 

[stratman]

Horrible article that looks just like its meant to, fodder for a newspaper editor.

2.0 audio is alive and well, as long as there are persons that are willing to appreciate good sound. The ipod generation, financially is being supported by their parents or a part-time job. MP3s cater to the "I want it now" crowd who basically doesn't care about sound quality. If you look at what people spend on home theater equipment, it's a niche market. MP3s will be around for a while, but they won't be the demise of any other format.

 

[emorphien]

I'm curious what will be on the DVD....but I think I will just pick up the CD and wait for the DVD-A

I may very well end up buying the DVD-A as well when it is released.

 

[skizzerflake]

I don't think that the end of hi-fi is evident. The current state of events is evolving to a newer version of the old world of 45 rpm singles. The simple fact (IMO) is that the majority of people don't care and can't hear good sound. They spend most of their lives listening to a few songs on cheap systems, little $8 earbuds or whatever. In that context, whether the music is delivered by lossy compression, cd, sacd, analog or whatever is pretty much irrelevant. All things considered, they will take whatever is cheapest and easiest.

Fortunately there are the rest of us, who care about music and sound. The increase in HT systems is evidence that all is not lost. Another interesting aspect of this is that the past year has been the strongest year in the past 20 or so for vinyl disk sales. People who are fans of good music, movies and sound quality have always been a small minority. The exact form of delivery is more diverse now but downloaded lossy mp3's are the 45's of the current day.

 

[davidtwotrees]

Gosh, I didn't think it was a terrible article. According to audioholics standards it was a bit vague, but the general populace isn't interested in, and would turn the page, if the article went into detail about hirez and hdmi 1.3. I thought they covered the all the bases. They certainly weren't pro mp3, the article mentions many times that the sound quality is much lower than redbook..........And the kid was right, most people under say, oh, thirty, could care less about stereo gear. They can put a music library in their pocket as they skip out the door. What percentage? I don't know, I bet 90% wouldn't trade their Ipod for a Denon 4xxx
As to listening to a whole album, sure great, I give the artist that accomadation. But it certainly doesn't mean I am duty bound to listen to the whole thing every time I sit down. When I buy a disc, the first thing I do is rip inot my Fireball. Then I put it in my Denon 3910 for a critcal listen all the way through. If the album is good, or I am fanatical about the artist, I will hear it through many more times. But most music is in the server and I can pick and choose what songs I like, or more often than not, choose random.

Hell, the true blue audiophiles I know would NEVER have remote and a motorized volume control.........that would be polluting the music with electronic hoo hahs. So, there are levels and levels. The digi music revolution has done one thing, IMHO, gotten people interested in music, and there is a whole vibrant bunch of young fresh bands out there that have found a way to get their sound out.................

 

[Bassman2]

Yes the dumbing down of society has reached the music world. Both in the making of popular music and in it's reproduction. From rap and hippity hoppity, to the wall of distortion called guitar "crunch", and that demon like screaming and groaning in heavy metal, there is little reason for anyone to care about fidelity. For rap all you ever needed was a beat and somebody else's art called "sampling" along with some odd sounding effects. Why invest money in hearing that in any great detail?

Of course there is still good music being made and recently the hip hop community has been making some instrument based R&B and soul from artists like Alicia Keys that is very good indeed.

 

[krabapple]

The article was factually dead-on for the most part. Most people CAN'T tell 128 kbps mp3 from source. That's been shows several times. Some serious brains WERE involved in development of MP3.

One funny thing was that the first guy they mention is someone transferring his CD collection to Apple *lossless*. Actually THAT is the future of 'high end', as storage drives get ever more compact and cheaper. All of the benefits of virtual media minus even the theoretical sonic drawbacks of mp3.