Are We the Last Generation?

[Elliot G.]

I don't think any audio system can "faithfully reproduce an original music [performance]." I'll suggest that what you really mean is "recreate the sound of an original musical event."

I agree with you Ron. I think many confuse what an original musical event is and something that never was a musical event. Most music is made in a studio and maybe many studios and is then stiched together to make a recording that goes on an album/cd etc. This was never a musical event but a series of pieces put together. This I see is what many audiophiles use for listening ( which is fine) however one can never determine reality from something that never had any.
If one is to listen to a live or live to recording of instruments and musicians then one can have a chance to attempt to recreate this event.
The typical audiophile recordings played to death and used to compare really dont have ability to be able to recreate anything.
As my mentor HP used to tell me which is the absolute cheeseburger?
I do believe we have come a long way and are getting closer but along with that is still the items that most don't possess which are a really nice sized room that works and a world class set up.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

but the topic is not about the music alone in fact as I read this it’s about ownership or said another way pride
anyone who builds speakers or boats gets this and
I tip my hat to them. to old stuff is what they made
New is not the same. yet to have old we need a market for new products lol.
Office space is no longer needed where it was
Those who cling to it are staying in the past
now some companies like mine need this space.
but not all.

You are absolutely right. The pride of ownership and the comfort of a designated space are essential to me as well. That's not something I'm willing to leave behind!

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

What I wrote initially was not about the music, as such. It was more about the importance of traditional hi-fi set ups and the culture around them. I do believe that a lot of modern inexpensive gear is probably much better than entry level from the '60s or '70s- though I also remember stuff like Dynaco, the old AR table; the speakers that were being promoted by the time I got into the hobby- call it 1970-- were for the most part relatively inefficient bookshelves (leaving aside JBL 100s). The big Bozaks, EVs, K-horns were dinosaurs. I knew a few DIY'ers who were into older gear at that time, but they were the fringe.
A few folks upthread have already pointed out that there are new generations, maybe they are just as passionate, but don't do it the same way. On the cultural aspect, somebody on another board was asking about classical music. I'm dating myself but remember going on field trips to hear Wm. Steinberg and the Pittsburgh Symphony, we had music classes in school whether or not you played an instrument, along with band, and orchestra. To me, that was part of a culture that is largely absent now too--I had a neighbor back in NY whose business was running music classes as a third party vendor to school systems- they simply couldn't afford to hire full time staff to teach this stuff.
I'm also fully willing to accept the fact that I should leave the basement more often.

Thankfully, older gear doesn't go to waste all the time, people still love their vintage turntables, amps and speakers. I'd hate to see that wasted! I remember my music classes at school. I had them despite not even intending to learn playing an instrument, like you said. I didn't dislike those classes, and in a way, they contributed to my interest in music. I'm in the depths of the basement too, but there are too many interesting things down there to leave...for now...

 

[rooze]

We’ve always been a very small niche, my prediction is that it will just continue to be that way. Looking around at kids wearing earbuds and deducing that they’re going to force us into extinction is overlooking the fact that our numbers have always been very small.

There’s no experience in the world like relaxing with a single malt and basking in the warm glow of a vintage tube amp, especially when it sets on fire.

 

[atxkyle]

I'm 'only' 45 (coincidently also in Austin)...maybe we'll get some good deals on high end gear when the 'geezers' here are gone and nobody else is interested.

I think there may be more life out there than you think. It's been interesting to watch companies like Schiit market to a younger crowd and deliver products at a price point they can afford. How good they are can be debated, but it's a gateway and a jumping off point. I also think @DSkip is right about the headphone market. There are a LOT of young people on Head-Fi with some really nice headphone rigs on their desk in what looks like a dorm room or their bedroom at their parents house. Those people will grow in their careers and living situations and expand to larger systems. The return of vinyl sales (even if mostly casual listeners) has proven that even in the age of streaming people have a craving for things that are tangible and the experience of acquiring...some percentage of them are bound to get the bug for better sound and go down the rabbit hole like the rest of us. I think there is hope.

43 year old audiophile here, also live in Austin!

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

We’ve always been a very small niche, my prediction is that it will just continue to be that way. Looking around at kids wearing earbuds and deducing that they’re going to force us into extinction is overlooking the fact that our numbers have always been very small.

There’s no experience in the world like relaxing with a single malt and basking in the warm glow of a vintage tube amp, especially when it sets on fire.

Extinguishing your amplifier is always a big memory. Maybe not a fond one...

 

[Ron Resnick]

Extinguishing your amplifier is always a big memory. Maybe not a fond one...

+1