Expanding the High End audio market - good idea? How?

[JayR]

I don’t think it’s whining. It’s just the reality on the ground.

”great sound can be had for less cost than ever before”

I can agree with this to some extent but its subjective as its different for everyone. A $5k component is affordable to some, chump change for others, and possibly a pipe dream for a bunch.

 

[KeithR]

IMO, affordability has an inverse relationship with the size of the customer base. I do not see how things can change for the better if the industry does not recognize that.

$5000/m cables, $125,000 speakers, $250,000 amplifiers... how many people can afford that? maybe The top 1% ? Out of that top 1%, how many are audiophiles? How many manufacturers/dealers are competing for the same slice of the pie? It makes it a difficult proposition at best as time goes on.

of course it does. the entire industry has gone to small brands producing mega $ gear to keep salaries similar. and its moved to a "luxury" element which is funny as they don't retain resale value any better.

 

[Elliot G.]

On the trade industry association idea, I think it is interesting. But what would a high-end audio trade association do?

A real industry trade association requires office space, at least a couple of full-time staff people, public relations efforts, travel expenses, etc. Would each of the relatively large audio companies contribute a low five figure dollar amount annually? Would each of the relatively small audio companies contribute a four figure dollar amount annually?

Most trade associations exist primarily, in reality, to preempt and to co-opt the government regulators to which their respective industries are subject. Trade associations also often establish and promote common guidelines and specifications. How would these ideas apply to our industry?

Trade industry associations also seek to preserve their market segments and to expand into other segments. Would high-end audio companies really spend money to have a trade association produce and disseminate general pro-high-end audio advertising extolling the virtues and benefits of high-end equipment and systems?

To the manufacturers and dealers here, what specifically would you want a high-end audio trade association to seek to achieve?

There has never been a High End only trade association that had the proper membership and focus on the proper message. I believe the message is one of exposure to our products and services. The overwhelming majority of people have never heard of any of our brands even if they are aware of all the other high end brands available in other Industries. If this is to happen and succeed it needs to be one with membership of all portions of the Industry. Press, manufacturing, distribution, and retail need to be represented and have input as to possible solutions. I also agree that there will need to be some financial needs that have to be addressed once a course of action has been determined in order to implement the plan. I have tried a few times to do something like this but had very little except lip service.
I think the public has no idea what we do, why we do it, why they need it, how it works etc. I also firmly believe that we underestimate the public and the media really devourers and enjoys CONTENT. We don't give them any.
No content on TV
No content on radio
No content on Social media
No celebrity endorsements
No real promotion other than to the people who are already aware.

 

[JayR]

of course it does. the entire industry has gone to small brands producing mega $ gear to keep salaries similar. and its moved to a "luxury" element which is funny as they don't retain resale value any better.

so true... customers who can afford the luxury element probably don’t care about resale value which makes the used market an “affordable” option for many including me.

 

[JackD201]

Market stratification and placement within any of the strata is a natural result of open economies. It even applies to food staples. There's nobody to blame here IMO

Between my friends, my brother and I, our kids are exposed to some of the best sound anywhere on the planet on a regular basis. Everything from Vintage, SET/Horns, Cutting edge tubes, solid state, digital, LP play and even half inch tape machines. My youngest sits with me and even takes the sweet spot. My eldest is not shy on comments, has bought a few LPs for herself but mainly likes making her own music and making covers on her laptop, my sweet middle child has a passion for popular dance and her dancing pleasure is in direct proportion to the quality of sound. None of them has ever asked for a system as we would define it for their own personal use. They are happy with earbuds at home and portable bt speakers on the go. So IMO exposure is only a small, small part of it.

The only people bitching about the price of hi-end gear are we the people that demanded and continue to demand improvements at an ever diminishing rate of returns that these improvements are trivial to the casual listener but enormous in value to us. The same people that say "Good on you Andrew Jones!" but don't take a second look at the Polks, Klipshs, Pioneers, Denons, Cambridge Audios etc of this world because it was only Elac that broke into the media segment created by us, for us.

There really is no shortage of good, really affordable equipment. Walk into an Audio shop in Akihabara, Tokyo for proof. Just leave the audio snobbery at the door. Leave the rose tinted glasses at the door too. The old days weren't better. There was junk to wade through to find the gems that became vintage classics. Same today, just like finding good new music, you have to wade through even more junk but they are there to be found like for example Fostex bookshelf speakers.

We older guys (I'm 50) just happen to be from eras where having a sound system as a teen onwards was much cooler than it is now. If the question is how do we make it cool again, I'm not holding my breath. Every generation defines its own cool. We don't get to do it for them. For now, IMO the way to expand the market is to tap those within our generations who can afford the 2, 3 or 4 grand for whole, well thought out systems that will knock lifestyle systems costing as much on their assess. Surely we can do that.

 

[stehno]

Another school of thought might be, expansion for espansion's sake really does little to improve much of anything. IMO, expansion for the sake of numbers will only water the industry further downward when if anything the industry should be focused toward improving everything this industry/hobby has to offer, including our listening skills. This can be an absolutely wonderful hobby. If only we let it.

Demand is usually the only driver. If it's really worthy or offers real value, others will flock to it. They always do. If others are not flocking to it, that usually implies we've got work to do. Implying we (the industry) actually demonstrate very little real value or very little ROI.

This is my suspicion and I think the lack of global demand substantiates my point rather well when we know there are potentially 7.5 billion humans out there possessing some to much love for music.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

No celebrity endorsements

Just today there was a bit on the radio that George Clooney announced he uses a Flow Bee and has been using it for years and just like that Flow Bee is depleted of inventory and scrambling to catch up. It pisses me off that celebrities' have that kind of power.
That being said...what if he said Chronosonics were the only speaker he listens to and said everyone needs to own a pair...

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[Elliot G.]

Just today there was a bit on the radio that George Clooney announced he uses a Flow Bee and has been using it for years and just like that Flow Bee is depleted of inventory and scrambling to catch up. It pisses me off that celebrities' have that kind of power.
That being said...what if he said Chronosonics were the only speaker he listens to and said everyone needs to own a pair...

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I think that if he was to say that it would help sell speakers, not mine maybe lol but it would certainly help Wilson. That stuff works and it would certainly bring awareness to the Industry

 

[Yeti]

Get them hooked on audio and they will drift up to the high end as imcome and other commitments allow, ignoting that first spark is the tricky part. Without fresh devotees the industry will shrink as the old guard dies off. You need a gateway drug, don’t draw people in with the high end, if anything it will repel them but once you get them interested in getting better sound at home with something relatively modest but better than the average consumer level, the rest will follow. It’s a slippery slope once you get started on it.

 

[Solypsa]

When I was a kid the mechanical / industrial design captured me. My uncle ( in grad school at the time) had a windfall and had some K horns and a Mac set. Wow that stuff had charisma to me.

These days my young friends in their 20s *mostly* seem less interested in the physical design aspects of audio. Without that interest its a tough sell to clutter the room with boxes and speakers and wires. Never mind the points already made about where their money already goes.

So my guess is the best single speaker/streamer is the winner.