Is Audiophilia a Dying Hobby or Just in Need of a Tune-Up?

[the sound of Tao]

Gloria Steinem and Camille Paglia are influential because of their use of polemics. How fascinating to reference both in a thread about the health or demise of a male oriented hobby. Another moment on WBF.

It is a hobby splintered by dualities so I figure polemics can always play out as a possible side effect especially for those carrying more absolute notions with their preferences. Regularly the great poles of analogue/digital, tube/SS, CD digital/soft file digital transports, dynamic box/panel speakers, and the polarity dynamic takes over… it’s a hobby with plenty of potential polarised ignition points.

But we tend to be a passionate and highly invested pursuit and alternate views are sometimes carried out too vigorously and at loggerheads… factor in a written forum environment to add for tension and sometimes misunderstanding.

Some are quite fixed but there are also plenty of us here who don’t seem to struggle with the nature of carrying diametrically opposing perspectives and viewing poles as in ways valid if accepted as viewed from subjectively just very different perspectives.

 

[the sound of Tao]

thats right all the great bands with a few exceptions were pre 1980. aFOS and AS were certainly not great ones IMO. FOr me I listen to everything and there is new and newer music to enjoy but again this is NOT my point. The musical explosion and its place in culture was huge in the late 60's and 70's.. This happened by a particular set of circumstances that are not recreateable now.
There was no cable TV
There was no cell phones
There was no home computers
There was limited TV programming
There was limited broadcast of Sports
There was a change in culture- the sexual revolution, the war in Vietnam
The music changed we went from Sinatra to R&B to Folk and Rock N Roll
the music had messages other than love songs
FM radio became huge with enormous impact and DJ became stars by doing it.
I can still remember the people 60 years ago, that to me is very interesting
This doesnt say that nothing happened since only that this was a HUGE CHANGE in society, how we listened to music changed, the record became like text books and the artists affected and changed culture in ways that did not happen before.

It was far more than the music itself and people made HIFI cool and it was everywhere and everyone wanted a "stereo"
Peace out

Life did have a great pace to it then, and the 60’s carried all that revolutionary vibe and hope. Things since have sped up terribly. That continuous ramping up of activity and information sensation has been quite subversive and I figure we are changed creatures now because of it.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I wonder how many industry professionals have done focus groups with millennials to figure out what they want to enjoy their music.

Why would you need focus groups to figure this out? Go find a bunch of Millennials and observe how they are listening to music. (The Millennials I know use ear buds and headphones).

I don't know anything about survey taking, but I would rather observe what people actually do than ask them to describe what they think they want.

 

[exupgh12]

I don’t see the negative correlation either and did not try to suggest it in my post. I’m just saying that it’s about the whole spectacle just as it is with Pink Floyd live shows or Alice Cooper. In other words, it’s more than just about the music. Taylor Swift puts on a show for her Swifty fans.

I doubt people close their eyes when attending her live shows, not even audio files. Are there any Swifty’s in the WBF forum sphere?

I can say I like some of here songs, all ought I can’t see myself attending one of her concerts unless won a free ticket.

 

[TonyW]

Here’s the thing: The younger generations these days rarely walk into a grocery store. My son the doctor works all hours. He needs something, he orders it on his phone and it is delivered in an hour or two. He actually has hifi gear because he grew up in a house with hifi gear.

Many of us here remember the bygone days of the audio/electronics stores of the 60s and 70s. Access to audio gear from low cost to high end was plentiful and easy. Even Sears sold stereo gear back then. During my college days in the mid 70s I remember browsing audio stores and dreaming of the day I could afford to buy something. Hearing great music coming from these magic boxes was so seductive for me. I remember these stores having a lot of traffic at the time. $89 turntables from Technics, Gerrard, BIC, Philips siting on the shelves. $89 was a lot of money back then but to see it all just sitting there for the buying.

Fretters and other big box stores killed the small audio shops. They were pushed into more boutique, costlier gear reducing their customer base to the increasingly well heeled. By the late 80s it could be intimidating walking into some hifi shops. Just walking in to browse and I could feel the salesperson sizing me up to determine if I was worth their time and attention. I walked into a McIntosh store once in 2006. I looked around, the sales people barely glanced at me. I asked to hear something but was turned away. Then there was Harry of Audio Dimensions in Royal Oak, Mi. I met him for the first time in 1991. Depending on the day and his mood, you might be welcomed or you might be in for a sharp lecture. It was a small shop so you couldn’t exactly avoid him. But I wouldn’t buy from anyone else. Got my first Sota turntable there and some ARC gear. He was my source for tubes, cartridges and even records long after I moved away from Detroit. Not a store for everyone, that’s for sure but the prickly guy was endearing. That’s the hifi experience I miss.

Even just a few years ago I could not imagine buying ultra expensive hifi gear by mail order sight unseen/unheard. Now, I have done that for two generations of digital hifi gear. I have returned a few things but cheaper than flying to a city with a physical store to audition gear plus hearing the gear in my room is better for me. But I’m a long time hobbyist that is well past hesitation and doubt. I find even for myself it takes a lot of research, determination and courage to buy high end gear these days. Without a salesman to help push people over the edge and make that purchase- well not sure how anything major gets sold these days.

How are people exposed to hifi today? Stores are far and few between limited typically to the larger cities. And like I said, many people these days do not shop in a grocery store. Perhaps a business model like Apple or Cellphone companies- manufacturers could collaborate to open showrooms around the country exhibiting their wares. No inventory except for maybe low cost items and accessories. Kind of a permanent Axpona but on a smaller scale. I think many furniture stores operate this way these days.

 

[TonyW]

PS. I’m retired so I’d love to spend a few hours a week sitting in an Audio showroom answering questions and hearing some toons.