Is the Audiophile Dying Out?

[lovinthehd]

I've been "into" audio since I was a teenager and that's when I bought a decent set of speakers, tt and receiver, as my dad had had similar gear initially (but then marriage and kids....). A few friends at the time had some gear, particularly ones with part-time jobs or hand me downs from the parents, but mostly we were into the music thand would go see someone live if at all possible. That didn't really change a whole lot as I got older, I knew few people into the gear as much as even myself and a 2ch set up was pretty much all there was and media was largely limited to vinyl. My gear was largely to serve my music collection. Most of us (myself and my friends) used fairly good but basic gear for a variety of entertainment uses rather than a shrine to audiophilia. I did have good jobs to support my habit even as a teen, tho.

In the 90s I started adding my love for movies into the mix as well as multich sound was a natural. Even fewer friends followed me in this regard as far as significant home gear to accommodate. I've got several multich av systems in the house now, but am single so not a problem No need to get fancy and permanently install stuff. or hide it, even tho I don't plan to ever move again. I have a few friends who are more into interior design/furniture/art and I can only think of one of those who has a reasonable sound system....the soundbar with a tv is more likely what they've got.

The kids of my friends are much more about portability/lifestyle than accumulating stuff as some have mentioned...let alone the lack of funds thing (many unfortunately have a fair bit of college debt to pay for a while, too).

I never did understand the 2ch shrine thing let alone spending $100k on 2 speakers and a media source and esoteric electronics/amplification on pedestals and all that....

 

[killdozzer]

Look, guys, forget about whose lil' feelings gonna get hurt for 2 min. and talk seriously. If marketing wasn't so strong we wouldn't have 5 newbies every day with woo claims about 2ch stereo.

Marketing's making new audiophiles. They pay 5k to have their cast to mold a perfect ear bud. And Bose is doing just fine.

It may be tube headphone amps for the millennials, but the audiophile is going nowhere.

 

[Trebdp83]

What does society lose? I feel like this is just us being humans; we don't like change. Listening to music isn't inherently special. It can be special if you find it to be, but I don't see any issue with people listening music and not caring about it.
I love cars but I don't mind that most people hate driving. I know they can be expensive and inconvenient, and I look forward to self driving cars.



That's true

I was speaking about a shared experience. If you are among family and friends and good music and food are being served up then it only enhances the experience. We always had music playing in my house as a young child and I loved that my parents enjoyed different kinds of music. We all listened to it and then shared our thoughts and feelings about it. When you go to the movies, or, use to anyway, they didn't hand everybody a VR set and they didn't hand out headphones at concerts. I don't think a musician would appreciate looking out into an audience of people wearing headphones who look like they don't care. At the end of the day, people will buy the things that get them off even if they can't really afford them. Some guys double down on cars and build big garages. Some put down big money on audio equipment but they have to build a man cave for it because their wife filled the extra bedroom with all of her f#%kin' designer purses and they can't even get into that f#%kin' room anymore! It doesn't take much to make something, anything, a little special. If you're gonna' stay home and rub one out, light a f#%kin' candle and use the clean sock.

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

An inexpensive headphone amp
An inexpensive external DAC
An inexpensive Blu-ray player
An inexpensive HD Radio tuner
A pair of inexpensive active studio monitor speakers

My 'audiophile' gear for 2020 - it works for me.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think there are a lot more home theaters (at least 5.1) right now than 30 years ago.

So if anything, I think the number of "audiophiles" have increased.

 

[Teetertotter?]

To be honest, the Complete home audio/entertainment enthusiasts, represent about 10% of the market. Maybe 15% in todays and future world. Repeat, smart TV's, phones, Laptops and internet, are where it is at for a long long time, with the public as a whole.

 

[TLS Guy]

I guess I hit all the bullets in that article except the smart home nonsense.

I think the longtime rejection of marrying video and audio by a sector of the audio community has been a huge mistake. Both complement and enhance the other.

I think aesthetics is a huge issue and very important. This is the area that the industry has neglected and I think the major part of the problem.

I probably will get flack here, but we continue to ignore aesthetics on this forum. Getting this right is hard work more than per se costly. It takes skill and careful planning to get this right. This is another area where I think powered speakers and separates would be a huge advantage. Those receivers are hard to hide. The pre/pros do not have to be that big. Amps can be hidden. I totally agree about hidden and discreet racks.

The other problem is homes, with few having suitable architecture for home theater. Most rooms are not in the least suitable. This latter is a formidable problem. This is an area that requires thought and work across multiple disciplines.

However the joy of well thought out, engineered systems neatly installed is immense.

So I would say the focus needs to go on installation before making the purchase list. Manufacturers of equipment need to give much more thought to this. There was much more thought given to this 50 and 60 years ago than now. I believe that it why is was more popular and accepted. The rot really set in with the avalanche of far Eastern equipment and the dawn of the humungous highly visible boxes.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Speaking of iPhones, crazy to spend 1200 on a phone but that's what I've been seeing with younger people.

Yes, of course as they live with it practically 24/7, communicating with everyone, social media is part of their lives, etc.

 

[mtrycrafts]

....wasn't allowed to touch it though.

Good thing.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I think there are a lot more home theaters (at least 5.1) right now than 30 years ago.

So if anything, I think the number of "audiophiles" have increased.

Yes, but having an 5.1 system does not necessarily make one an audiophile. We have one family friend with a 5.1 who are definitely not audiophile grade.
Theaters are 5.1 or better and they go and like it.

 

[davidscott]

Thanks Gene for posting the article. Nice read. I think that Audiophilia in general has been in a slow decline for quite a while now. This Corona pandemic has probably added to the decline as more and more high end shops are closing and a whole lot of people are more concerned with food and rent these days. I myself have not purchased a dedicated audio component in years. I remember the constant upgrading back in the 80s to get closer to audio nirvana. Those were the good old days. Sigh.

 

[lovinthehd]

Yes, but having an 5.1 system does not necessarily make one an audiophile. We have one family friend with a 5.1 who are definitely not audiophile grade.
Theaters are 5.1 or better and they go and like it.

Nor does having a 2ch system make one an audiophile necessarily. Just means enthusiastic about hi-fi audio reproduction which is easily enough obtained these days....

 

[lovinthehd]

Another difference is the very shopping/consuming experience. In the old days you had the glossy mag pics/reviews, the B&M store to go hang out in, the record store to browse....

 

[davidscott]

Another difference is the very shopping/consuming experience. In the old days you had the glossy mag pics/reviews, the B&M store to go hang out in, the record store to browse....

Yep at one time or another I subscribed to Audio, High Fidelity, Stereophile, and Stereo Review. Couldn't wait to read the current reviews and maybe listen to them in the local B&M stores. Like I said those were the days.

 

[Mark E. Long]

I got lucky. My older son and daughter introduce me to all kinds of new music though they listen to their stuff on very simple systems. Discovering new music makes me eons happier than finding new gear. My younger son is a gamer dude however with no significant taste in music.

I used to often bother one of the baristas at the local coffee shop with the "what're you playing young lady?" One day, she very politely grabbed my phone and installed Soundhound & Shazam on my phone a.k.a educated my stone age existence about such apps lol ..Now, i sit there with my Soundhound/Shazam and don't have to bother anyone!

funny my son is into all kinds of late 70’s to late 90’s music . Iam lucky every new music or disk he buys Iam the first place he comes to put it on my library lol the last time I checked I had 70 some days of music stored up for the home system on an iPod hooked to my yammy. I’d love to get a better music server setup for my home setup in a better lossless format . Perhaps I’ll get his input as he loves to research stuff .

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

My three kids were raised with my nice (by average-Joe standards) home theater system. Yet my two sons, well into their careers and making decent money, have no interest. My daughter has some, but has no money.

Aside from a couple of friends, my whole life I think I visited maybe two people’s homes that had a decent stereo (and that tells you how long ago that was).

I don’t think audiophiles were ever a significant part of the population. It may hang on as an industry, but I don’t see it growing in a world where people are happy to watch movies on their tablets with earbuds.

I also think part of the problem is that systems now are ridiculously complex. I recently bit the bullet and “upgraded” from optical / component to HDMI with an older AVR. It has a manual that runs over 170 pages, which is patently ridiculous. I’m not a novice by any means, but it just about drove me nuts trying to get everything sorted out and working correctly, juggling its manual and the Blu-Ray player’s 65 pg. manual. I know things can never be as simple as the days of analog, but it’s high time for someone to come up with a scaled-down, “plug and play” system.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[VMPS-TIII]

Most people are satisfied with earbuds and soundbars. They think anything more is a waste of money.

Only old farts with money to burn can afford this hobby.

 

[Mark E. Long]

Most people are satisfied with earbuds and soundbars. They think anything more is a waste of money.

Only old farts with money to burn can afford this hobby.

when I bought my last Yamaha at Best Buy the kid I had order it at the time they didn’t carry the Advantage line ( and still don’t ) but when the kid looked it up he was amazed that anyone would buy such an expensive piece of equipment at that time it was 2,200 bucks for a flagship model he freaked out when I told him what it would do compared to the lower end models they had on the floor . But he was rejoicing when he found out about his commission from the sale lol .

 

[papaboa]

Here's what I expect:

- More affordable, higher quality wireless headphones
- High res streaming services
- More stylish stereo and multi channel smart speakers from the major audiophile brands with Alexa, Google, and AirPlay built in. No more separate hubs or streamers.
- TVs and phone apps as the streaming interface to active speakers with room correction built in

What I don't expect:

- No need for BluOS or special audiophile apps. The speakers will support any app via Google Cast/Assistant and AirPlay.
- I really doubt dedicated gear rooms will take off, as the next generation moves away from having much gear.
- Built in recessed speakers will be a luxury niche because they require home ownership and, more importantly, can't be upgraded easily. People with more money than appreciation for music will be the main buyers.

I have steadily shrunk the footprint of my system (without shrinking the budget) going

- from a 5 channel setup with separates
- to a computer as a streaming server going direct to the analog input of an amp, connected to 2 monitors and a subwoofer
- to a streaming stick with an integrated amp with digital input, with monitors and a sub

Now I hide all of it inside a credenza that I open to listen to music. A flat wall mount TV uses the same system for sound.

I really want to drop the amp and separate subwoofer and streaming stick. Even though everything is hidden away, I don't like knowing that it's there with too many wires. And it's unnecessary with digital powered speakers. Kii Audio, KEF, Dynaudio and B&O are getting so close to the ideal. Soon all of the best speaker brands will get in on the future.

And I predict that there will continue to be a flurry of mergers and acquisitions, as separates cease to exist, and speakers and amplification and sources all merge. Any successful audio company will need to deal with all of it in a single box.

Audiophiles will get on the upgrade cycle, as always, trading in their system for the latest. It just won't be the old world of separates.

Exciting times! All the best music of the world has never been more readily available, and has never sounded better or been more convenient. I can't wait for my next upgrade.

 

[highfigh]

When money is short, You invest in an inexpensive coffee maker and buy a bag of Starbucks coffee and not walk into the joint and spend $5 for a f#%kin' cup. That is not socially responsible or cost effective. "Consume media" is not the same as enjoying a musical experience. You do not have to spend $100,000. Gaming consoles, their accessories and games or the biggest and best iPhones cost more than a respectable sound system. I'm not bashing millennials but "Consuming media wherever they are" sounds a lot like "using." Get off the pipe kids. Look up every once and awhile and take in the view and smell the flowers. Time is a bitch and soon enough you won't be able to see that far and you'll be allergic to the flowers.

Waiting in line for as cup of coffee when I can make a whole pot of it at home, drink it at my leisure and not have to listen to the droid behind the counter tell me how special their coffee heater is and how it seems to make them think they're 'interesting' while surrounded by people who piss away money for something that can be bought for $10/lb reminds me that people are idiots (not that I really need a reminder). Last time I went to Charbucks, it was to use a gift card before it expired and it took almost ten minutes to get that cup into my hand. I guess they charge so much so they can recover their rent faster and I like the beans I buy at a local grocery store more than what I had from them- I don't think I finished my cup. Good thing it was free.