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  1. #31
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Hi Alex,

    How's it going? Good to see you checking in again!

    Quote Originally Posted by AlexM View Post
    Once you've been a member of a forum for a period of time, you start to notice the repetitive nature of threads, restatement of entrenched points of view and the generally bounded nature of the discussions relating to the core topic. From this point there tends to a progressive disengagement from the community and your interest level starts to drop off.
    I completely agree, but I'm afraid that's simply the nature of the beast and there's little that can be done about it.

    As has been said though, it certainly helps in terms of the 'community' aspect (and minimising said "disengagement") if you've actively got to know other members, by meeting up with them, and perhaps made some friends in the process, which is thus liable to help sustain your engagement with the community.

    That's unlikely to be the case if you've simply used a forum to document your 'hi-fi journey', sucking information from others in the process, just for your benefit and to enhance your listening experience, and then when the exercise is over, sail off into the sunset... This goes back to my earlier point about 'takers' and 'givers'.

    Perhaps it would be a good idea for members to apply some introspection, and ascertain which of the two categories they consider that they belong in?

    I think it's normal that a lot of forum users will go through a cycle of discovery, enthusiastic engagement and involvement, a plateau of interest and then progressive reduction in participation. For a lot of people who join a forum, there is a transactional nature to their participation - they have a problem or need questions answered and once the itch has been scratched they tend to fade away.
    Indeed, which again relates to what I've just been discussing. Don't get me wrong, what you've outlined is perfectly natural behaviour, but if everyone did that, there would be no forum, and no community.

    That is why amassing a hard core of regulars, who've made AoS (or some other forum) their 'home', and thus an integral part of their daily lives, is necessary to keep things ticking along. Therefore, maintaining their interest in contributing is vital to a forum's sustained success and longevity - a point that you've touched upon yourself.

    So it's just a hypothesis, but if less people are joining a forum because interest in Hi-Fi as a hobby is waning (as opposed to interest in music in general) do Hi-Fi fora experience a reduction in membership growth? it would be interesting to know what the trends are in new member signups, volume of posts per user and what the profile of volume of posts looked like over time.
    In terms of the first bit, perhaps, but it's not so evident here.

    We're currently averaging around 8-10 new sign-ups per day, from all over the world, so even if interest in hi-fi as a hobby is waning (which I'm not so sure is the case, but rather that interest is diversifying into different areas, compared with before), we're not seeing any evidence of that in terms of growth - and quite a few new members are hanging around and getting stuck into discussions.

    As for the second bit, that's something which would need analysing more closely. However, even when you've got the actual statistics to hand, it's easy to misinterpret them by drawing the wrong conclusions, in terms of why certain members have small or large post counts.

    Many people, for example, join forums with the full intention of making regular contributions, but then life gets in the way, or something unexpected happens, which prevents them from carrying out what they'd intended - and therefore their subsequent non-participation is no reflection on the forum itself, or those who run it.

    For myself, as my sig shows, I haven't bought any new Hi-Fi stuff for a couple of years so I have less to tell you all about, certainly little that is novel or hasn't already been covered in depth by others. I still check in periodically but am certainly less active than I once was.
    No problem, and I totally understand. It's good though that you're still 'around' enough to pop in and contribute to discussions such as this, so please continue to do so, even if you don't have anything particularly interesting to say about your system, as I always enjoy reading your posts

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  2. #32
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Idlewithnodrive View Post
    Audio Abattoir is another music / hi-fi (loosely) forum that is very heavily based around community / bake-offs / groups of friends and they make it work really well.
    Ah yes, the Wam before it was fucked up!

    Those guys pretty much invented the 'bake-off' concept, and should be given due credit for that.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  3. #33
    Join Date: Aug 2012

    Location: South Beds, UK

    Posts: 1,950
    I'm Mike.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Ah yes, the Wam before it was fucked up!

    Those guys pretty much invented the 'bake-off' concept, and should be given due credit for that.

    Marco.
    Yes, The Wam. A perfect example of how to destroy a community and, by association, the forum !
    Less bling, more integrity ©Spenagio

  4. #34
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    The problem is, you cannot *successfully* monetise a 'model' that doesn't lend itself well to monetising, such as a hi-fi forum - which without the community that made it what it is (was) in the first place, is nothing. This is something that Peter will find out for himself, sooner rather than later, and hopefully before he wastes too much money on trying.

    Anyway, let's leave that there, as I don't want this thread turning into a 'slag off your chosen forum' fest.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  5. #35
    Join Date: Jun 2016

    Location: Queensland Australia

    Posts: 61
    I'm Hugo.

    Default

    Hifi forums are a bit intimidating to young people because it's a bunch of old geezers with incredibly expensive systems. I'm in my early 30s and have been into hifi for a long time, but I've been given condescending answers by old audiophiles who've been in the game since the invention of sound.

    As a consequence, AoS is the only forum that I visit anymore- but even here I'm hesitant to post threads or ask questions, for fear of being treated rudely by "seasoned audiophiles".

    edit: oh and to state the blatantly obvious- younguns can't afford the type of gear that exists in these sorts of forums. I know that I started on headphon forums, where a few hundred can go a long way. If you're a young person with a few hundred to spend on a turntable of speakers, you'd probably feel a lot more at home at Reddit or a facebook group

  6. #36
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    I know what you mean, Hugo. But you can be rest assured that won't happen here, as we simply wouldn't allow it, so please ask or post away!

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  7. #37
    Join Date: Dec 2008

    Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days

    Posts: 4,779
    I'm Shaun.

    Default

    I am currently 58 years old and I found one hi-fi forum to be unbelievably intimidating and insulting and that was simply because I had a very cheap sound system and no money at that time to improve it. My life at that time was going through a really bad phase financially and the only thing that got me through it all was music and AOS, which I had only just joined. I never did revisit the 'other' forum.

  8. #38
    Join Date: Dec 2008

    Location: East Riding of Yorkshire these days

    Posts: 4,779
    I'm Shaun.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 1200reasons View Post
    younguns can't afford the type of gear that exists in these sorts of forums
    Hugo, I could only afford most of what I have because I bought second hand. All the best to you and never make excuses for what you have. Most of us have all that we can afford.

  9. #39
    Join Date: Jun 2016

    Location: Queensland Australia

    Posts: 61
    I'm Hugo.

    Default

    See shaun, that's the sort of comment that turns young people away. My whole setup is used or DIY, but when I read your comment it frankly feels condescending- suggesting that I'm making excuses for my gear, when I never did such a thing, nor even mention my gear or financial situation.

    My comment was simply a suggestion as to why forums may be struggling to find young users. My own setup is already well established.

  10. #40
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    I really don't think Shaun meant it that way.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


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