The current state of the hifi industry (aka DaveF's rant!)

[Diapason]

On the thread about the show, DaveF said:

Prices like the above though and the voodoo that Lars peddles isnt doing the hifi industry any favours at all. I tried to encourage a few guys at work during the week to pop in and have a look but mostly they sniggered at hifi in general, their gripe being mainly the silly prices, the voodoo tweaks and pseudo science that surrounds some but certainly not all of hifi.
One of the biggest issues that I see with the hifi industry is their failure to address the issue of an ever ageing customer base. How can they attract newcomers to hifi? Certainly not with voodoo, high prices and the like! That only alienates people and makes the hobby seem either unobtainable, silly or both.

Anyway, I think the hifi brands are missing out on an opportunity to really show what hifi can do at an entry level. Cut out all the bullshit and leave newcomers in no doubt as to what can achieved with a system that's good value yet has quality. That will get them on the path. Advertise in non hifi mags, do something to promote hifi. Ask anyone not familiar with hifi what they think hifi is and they'll most likely say Bose or B&O probably because they've come across them in other mags.

Of course there is also the way mainstream music is these days, with it being manufactured, packaged and listened to on the go through ipods and the like.

So is hifi going to get even more smaller, more specialised, more elitist?

This is probably a rant for another thread! :-)

I agree that this deserves its own thread, so here it is. I don't have time to contribute at the mo, but let's just say I agree with most of this, and disagree with some of it.

Anyone else like to wade in?

[Rocker]

Interesting topic. As I see it one big problem for the hi-fi industry is that people are used to getting ever better performing white and other electronics at prices that in real terms are reducing every year. Take a computer for example: €600 will buy you a decent machine but next year it will buy you a higher performing computer with a larger hard drive. Prices are remaining static or reducing. To compensate buyers are expecting a fairly short usage life before it becomes 'obsolete' when technology will have moved on so much that a new purchase is required. Thankfully hi-fi kit is built to last quite a bit longer than your average computer but it is harder to get this concept across.

My cents worth.

[dhyantyke]

On the thread about the show, DaveF said:

Prices like the above though and the voodoo that Lars peddles isnt doing the hifi industry any favours at all. I tried to encourage a few guys at work during the week to pop in and have a look but mostly they sniggered at hifi in general, their gripe being mainly the silly prices, the voodoo tweaks and pseudo science that surrounds some but certainly not all of hifi.
One of the biggest issues that I see with the hifi industry is their failure to address the issue of an ever ageing customer base. How can they attract newcomers to hifi? Certainly not with voodoo, high prices and the like! That only alienates people and makes the hobby seem either unobtainable, silly or both.

Anyway, I think the hifi brands are missing out on an opportunity to really show what hifi can do at an entry level. Cut out all the bullshit and leave newcomers in no doubt as to what can achieved with a system that's good value yet has quality. That will get them on the path. Advertise in non hifi mags, do something to promote hifi. Ask anyone not familiar with hifi what they think hifi is and they'll most likely say Bose or B&O probably because they've come across them in other mags.

Of course there is also the way mainstream music is these days, with it being manufactured, packaged and listened to on the go through ipods and the like.

So is hifi going to get even more smaller, more specialised, more elitist?

This is probably a rant for another thread! :-)

I agree that this deserves its own thread, so here it is. I don't have time to contribute at the mo, but let's just say I agree with most of this, and disagree with some of it.

Anyone else like to wade in?

Um...yeah. To me the hifi scene really can seem a bit opaque and therefore elitist: But, I think that's inevitable to some degree when you have, on this forum for example, people who have obviously a huge degree of experience and understanding of the field......and basic dunces like myself floundering about trying to get orientated......learning a whole new language and associated concepts at the same time. eg I got a reply from Fran in recent post re digital audio which was helpful in breaking into simple language/logical progression what the options were....I imagine to others that would read like describing the wheel. And I'm keen to get the best sound I can to my ears....to the casual bypasser e.g. some of my friends, I know they are interested in the music but are put off by the outright baloney/ feeling of being taken to the cleaners when 'snowed' with technical jargon which aims to make us feel deficient if we don't have some esoteric product. (Basically, long winded agreement with DaveF above!!)
So,yeah, the industry could do a better job in making the hifi scene more accessible and digestible in bite sized chunks and simple language (not to mention the prices!) and not just talking to the already converted in ever more specialised language..........

[DaveF]

I think there other factors going against the industry besides the baloney that surrounds much of the products and accessories.

I mean how do you show people with an interest in music what hifi can do and what they are missing out on due to ipods etc. Will they even care?
25 years ago, the only way to enjoy music was to pop into a shop and browse around and go home and listen to it on some sort of basic hifi system that was parked in the living room. The only alternative was a few radio stations and MTV was in its infancy then.
Nowadays, society runs at a much faster pace. People are on the go more. You have god knows how many music channels on rotation 24 hours a day, pretty much any music is available for free via downloads and the portable mp3 player has changed the music industry quite substantially. People are generally doing other things while listening to their ipods. The involvment just isnt the same as it was.
Thats not to say that these people dont enjoy their music, im sure they do, but do they really need or want a hifi system to do so?

They way things are going I see hifi going even more elitist, more specialised, more voodoo, alienating the sane public even more. It will die a death after us lot are gone.

But can they or should the hifi industry do anything about it? And if so what?

[Diapason]

Did anyone go to Roy Gregory's talk? Did he get into any of this stuff?

[Ivor]

Um...yeah. To me the hifi scene really can seem a bit opaque and therefore elitist: But, I think that's inevitable to some degree when you have, on this forum for example, people who have obviously a huge degree of experience and understanding of the field..........

I got a reply from Fran in recent post re digital audio which was helpful in breaking into simple language/logical progression what the options were....I imagine to others that would read like describing the wheel. And I'm keen to get the best sound I can to my ears .........

this is something that comes up every now and again and needs to be addressed immediately and in the clearest possible terms. Since it's inception this forum has deliberately, and by its very nature, been non elitist. There are members here with high end systems and there are members here with very modest systems. There are experts here and there are people like myself who are learning all the time. There is no snobbery here, no sneering (except at BOSE) and no preaching.

I can assure you most of us were enlightened by Fran's answer because most of us are still trying to get our heads around hard drives, DACs and suchlike.

there is, of course, some eliteism in hi-fi but not here. Don't ever be afraid to ask a question or make a point on these forums. We've all asked it at some stage.

As you were.

[Diapason]

Quite right Ivor!!!

[Gerry D]

I mean how do you show people with an interest in music what hifi can do and what they are missing out on due to ipods etc. Will they even care?

[DaveF]

Cheers Gerry! :-) That's the solution right there.

/Thread closed! :-)

[dhyantyke]

Um...yeah. To me the hifi scene really can seem a bit opaque and therefore elitist: But, I think that's inevitable to some degree when you have, on this forum for example, people who have obviously a huge degree of experience and understanding of the field..........

I got a reply from Fran in recent post re digital audio which was helpful in breaking into simple language/logical progression what the options were....I imagine to others that would read like describing the wheel. And I'm keen to get the best sound I can to my ears .........

this is something that comes up every now and again and needs to be addressed immediately and in the clearest possible terms. Since it's inception this forum has deliberately, and by its very nature, been non elitist. There are members here with high end systems and there are members here with very modest systems. There are experts here and there are people like myself who are learning all the time. There is no snobbery here, no sneering (except at BOSE) and no preaching.

I can assure you most of us were enlightened by Fran's answer because most of us are still trying to get our heads around hard drives, DACs and suchlike.

there is, of course, some eliteism in hi-fi but not here. Don't ever be afraid to ask a question or make a point on these forums. We've all asked it at some stage.

As you were.[/quote]

Sir!! Nice to hear your reply. One doesn't want to be a pest!! Watch out for more 'incoming'...