Is High End Audio Market in Recession?
- Thread starter caesar
- Start date
Is Spectral still around?
This gear too used to sound like what the OP is stating.
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
Why shave slick?I don't use mirrors much these days, sometimes weeks go by without using them. Cut myself shaving the other day, ran around in public with a piece of toilet paper on my chin all day. Did not find out until next days shave
One more thing, compare your life now vs say 20 or 30 years ago. The Google age has lessened our attention spans, the new gen can care less about sitting down in one spot and enjoying a nice sound system. It's why headphones have exploded in popularity. I applaud Focal, B&W, and Mark Levinson for jumping into that market. Going where the next-gen consumer their music.
I’m new here today on this forum and really enjoy this high end audio upgrade game being in my early 40’s and growing up started working and building my first hifi rig at around 14 years of age. Went a very long time with
My dated Yamaha and nht rig before making the plunge into some new gear. I rarely buy brand new gear aside from cartridges or demo unit gear with new warranty on occasion. I am constantly buying and selling gear on usaudiomart and eBay to take advantage of the high depreciation that goes along with most high end gear. I sold quite a bit of gear this year and last year but It did seem like last year (2023) it was much easier to sell my used equipment on the way to buying better and more expensive gear. I was just able to purchase new demo mc1.25kw monoblocks with a warranty that were twice as powerful as my last pair of mc611’s for a great price due to my dealer (A Magnolia in Socal to go unnamed) downsizing many of their local stores of the highest line of many of their products due to installs and sales being down. The discounts I got were great and I ended up buying too much gear as much of it was nearly half off or better. While I got tremendous savings the reality of not being able to go walk into as many showrooms to demo the top tier gear is a sad thing and seems inevitable for many brick and mortar audio businesses. Personally my automotive service business is down this year for the first year since starting 16 years ago aside from the Covid years which was to be expected those years but definitely didn’t expect it to be down this year in 2024. I always ask other small businesses I deal with in the Santa Barbara/Ventura area how they are doing and many if not all say they are also down or very slow this year so hopefully it’s just a downturn in the local economy and not as much directly related to the hifi industry being down. Fingers crossed the next year or two will get better
My dated Yamaha and nht rig before making the plunge into some new gear. I rarely buy brand new gear aside from cartridges or demo unit gear with new warranty on occasion. I am constantly buying and selling gear on usaudiomart and eBay to take advantage of the high depreciation that goes along with most high end gear. I sold quite a bit of gear this year and last year but It did seem like last year (2023) it was much easier to sell my used equipment on the way to buying better and more expensive gear. I was just able to purchase new demo mc1.25kw monoblocks with a warranty that were twice as powerful as my last pair of mc611’s for a great price due to my dealer (A Magnolia in Socal to go unnamed) downsizing many of their local stores of the highest line of many of their products due to installs and sales being down. The discounts I got were great and I ended up buying too much gear as much of it was nearly half off or better. While I got tremendous savings the reality of not being able to go walk into as many showrooms to demo the top tier gear is a sad thing and seems inevitable for many brick and mortar audio businesses. Personally my automotive service business is down this year for the first year since starting 16 years ago aside from the Covid years which was to be expected those years but definitely didn’t expect it to be down this year in 2024. I always ask other small businesses I deal with in the Santa Barbara/Ventura area how they are doing and many if not all say they are also down or very slow this year so hopefully it’s just a downturn in the local economy and not as much directly related to the hifi industry being down. Fingers crossed the next year or two will get better
I'm British.
We invented sarcasm.
With due deference to New York Jews who took it to a whole new level.
But that *is* Mulvaney's story.
One of the greatest grifts ever.
Having worked until recently for a high end manufacturer, I noticed a surge of business during Covid. After that, people had already bought a good deal of what they would need for awhile, so sales slowed dramatically (in the case of my company, they're teetering on going out of business because of the slowdown).
Perhaps the high end will recover at some point, but luxury audio is a finite market which is already close to being saturated, and HiFi is a niche market these days, unlike the 50s and 60s when everybody had to have a good stereo.
Perhaps the high end will recover at some point, but luxury audio is a finite market which is already close to being saturated, and HiFi is a niche market these days, unlike the 50s and 60s when everybody had to have a good stereo.
My evidence is anecdotal, but it's definitely been harder to sell quality used gear since around the beginning of the year. I don't rely on it for income, the contrary, I take a haircut on a lot of it. Past buyers would put it on a CC and pay it off when they sold other gear, etc. Those buyers have completely dried up. A dealer-friend says his sales are off 20% compared to '23 and the lower end gear moves slowest. His vinyl/music dist. are expressing a similar dip in sales.
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Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
To funny. As a Texas Jew I take great offense in your remark Bubba!
I never bought anything during COVID, I just enjoyed what I had.
I was never one for buying new stuff every 5 minutes anyway, I do my research listen to everything I buy before I get anything new. Since I do my research well, I tend to buy and keep for a long time. The last thing I bought is my speakers back in December 2023, and that replaced my old speakers which I have owned for more than 10 years.
I am happy with my system and the only real big improvements I am doing now is my room treatment, It does not matter how good your system is if your room is not good enough you will never ear the extra money you spend on gear. Most people probably have not heard how good their system can sound because their room is not up to it, but they still chase after new gear.
What is the big deal about the new Jag ad, in the UK we all know Jag is an old person’s car. Looks like they are trying to attract new and maybe younger audience, good luck to them.
I was never one for buying new stuff every 5 minutes anyway, I do my research listen to everything I buy before I get anything new. Since I do my research well, I tend to buy and keep for a long time. The last thing I bought is my speakers back in December 2023, and that replaced my old speakers which I have owned for more than 10 years.
I am happy with my system and the only real big improvements I am doing now is my room treatment, It does not matter how good your system is if your room is not good enough you will never ear the extra money you spend on gear. Most people probably have not heard how good their system can sound because their room is not up to it, but they still chase after new gear.
What is the big deal about the new Jag ad, in the UK we all know Jag is an old person’s car. Looks like they are trying to attract new and maybe younger audience, good luck to them.
Alive and kicking, they just don’t advertise, and their website is just terrible, but to be honest they don’t care as they are still selling and doing well.
I agree 100%, those kind of prices does nothing to attract new younger people which the industry really needs now.
Junk science and junk reviews which buy into it have made me want to give up HiFi altogether more than once out of disgust. I design and build most all of my own gear so I can ignore the noise to some degree.
I am too busy enjoying what I have. Sounds fantastic. The hifi binge reminds of the golfing boom during Covid. Many clubs have returned to pre covid levels in terms of tee time demands and membership requests.
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
You can buy a garden shed for her, so that you can sit in the living room listening to audio