The interest in Hi-Fi

[Floyddroid]

I often wonder if the interest in Hi-Fi/audio is finally starting to wane? It is of course an pastime/interest/hobby of people from a bygone era. This is born out by the fact that there are sites popping up on social media and the net in general for those of us interested in vintage equipment. The Hi-Fi industry as a whole still seems strong though i wonder how long it can last? :scratch:

[Firebottle]

It amazes me Steve how many manufacturers there are worldwide, so it begs the question as to whether the customer base is growing or shrinking?

[Haselsh1]

I have become of the opinion that since I became obsessed with hi-fi as opposed to music the overall interest has dropped considerably so that hi-fi as we all know it is now very much a niche thing. I also know that history is destined to repeat itself as it frequently does. Where the future lies I have no idea but like many who share this passion for music reproduced in a certain way, I shall carry on with what I have apart from maybe my speakers. I became obsessed with music first and foremost not really involving myself in hi-fi until I had lots of spare money but my first system cost a maximum of around £350. Maybe I should have left it there and just concentrated on the music as seems to be the case now..?

[struth]

I have become of the opinion that since I became obsessed with hi-fi as opposed to music the overall interest has dropped considerably so that hi-fi as we all know it is now very much a niche thing. I also know that history is destined to repeat itself as it frequently does. Where the future lies I have no idea but like many who share this passion for music reproduced in a certain way, I shall carry on with what I have apart from maybe my speakers. I became obsessed with music first and foremost not really involving myself in hi-fi until I had lots of spare money but my first system cost a maximum of around £350. Maybe I should have left it there and just concentrated on the music as seems to be the case now..?

trick is to blend both, but not losing sight of the music comes first. if your stiving for things hifi then you often lose interest in music you like over what sounds best

[YNWaN]

I often wonder if the interest in Hi-Fi/audio is finally starting to wain? It is of course an pastime/interest/hobby of people from a bygone era. This is born out by the fact that there are sites popping up on social media and the net in general for those of us interested in vintage equipment. The Hi-Fi industry as a whole still seems strong though i wonder how long it can last? :scratch:

I’m afraid I find your logic fatally flawed. Just because there is an interest in vintage audio doesn’t mean that there is waning interest in modern equipment. Lots of people love vintage cars but the motor industry isn’t in collapse! In addition, my own experience completely contradicts your suspicions - it certainly isn’t from a ‘bygone era’!

[montesquieu]

I have become of the opinion that since I became obsessed with hi-fi as opposed to music the overall interest has dropped considerably so that hi-fi as we all know it is now very much a niche thing. I also know that history is destined to repeat itself as it frequently does. Where the future lies I have no idea but like many who share this passion for music reproduced in a certain way, I shall carry on with what I have apart from maybe my speakers. I became obsessed with music first and foremost not really involving myself in hi-fi until I had lots of spare money but my first system cost a maximum of around £350. Maybe I should have left it there and just concentrated on the music as seems to be the case now..?

Can't relate to that at all, the better my kit gets the more I want to listen to it, and the more varied music I want to listen to as well. I buy as much if not more music now than I did in my uni days as a music student - half a dozen LPs yesterday from Oxfam in Wokingham, good stuff too. The biggest issue is where to put them!

I actually find it a big source of amusement that when I was in my teens and early 20s, 'fun' was generally defined as going round to my mates' houses with a bag of records (or have them come to mine), listening intently to the music with a bit of chat alongside some tea, biscuits and (if it was in the evening) alcohol. The hifi wasn't really the thing as most of us were too skint to afford anything but absolute budget gear, but it was hugely enjoyable and nobody spent time fussing about cartridge settings cos there was no way to set them!

Fast foward 30-40 years and what's some of the most fun you can have? Go round to your mates' houses with a bag of records, listening intently to the music with a bit of (admittedly often hifi-related) chat, + refreshments. In fact I did that for much of yesterday at Westlower's place (report on his new Tannoys to follow).

In the middle of course was wife, kids and family life and all that that for so many years consumed every penny and most of my attention, but now that both cash and attention are a bit more free, it's a lovely thing to get back into, and hifi forums have certainly helped with that over the last decade or so. (Though it turns out that one of my mates from the old days in Scotland has moved a few miles from me so we go to gigs again now.)

For me there's a wonderful symmetry to the whole thing.

[speedracer]

You have to put the horse before the cart, music should always be the thing that draws you into our hobby of high fidelity surely? Even as a young boy I can remember being moved by music so much, despite hearing it through less than ideal replay systems, my mum was a massive Beatles fan so I always had something to play the records on & at the time never thought for a second about how to improve the sound, I just loved it for what it was. I have an interest in vintage radios, especially valve ones, & just loved hearing live broadcasts on them, as I still do, low fidelity or not. Technology brought more sophistication into music reply as i grew older, & I welcomed it heartily, striving always to improve what I could hear within my budget, but not once has it ever occured to me to stop listening on radio or car stereo, music is music.

[Floyddroid]

You have to put the horse before the cart, music should always be the thing that draws you into our hobby of high fidelity surely? Even as a young boy I can remember being moved by music so much, despite hearing it through less than ideal replay systems, my mum was a massive Beatles fan so I always had something to play the records on & at the time never thought for a second about how to improve the sound, I just loved it for what it was. I have an interest in vintage radios, especially valve ones, & just loved hearing live broadcasts on them, as I still do, low fidelity or not. Technology brought more sophistication into music reply as i grew older, & I welcomed it heartily, striving always to improve what I could hear within my budget, but not once has it ever occured to me to stop listening on radio or car stereo, music is music.

Yes i would agree.

[Floyddroid]

I’m afraid I find your logic fatally flawed. Just because there is an interest in vintage audio doesn’t mean that there is waning interest in modern equipment. Lots of people love vintage cars but the motor industry isn’t in collapse! I’m addition, my own experience completely contradicts your suspicions - it certainly isn’t from a ‘bygone era’!

There was no logic or fact about what i had written at all. Hence me beginning with i often wonder! Perhaps too had i added the word based in a bygone era this may have suited your critique a little better.

[Pharos]

There was a confluence of events, 2nd WW technology fed into commercial Hi-Fi, the young had more money and music became culturally more important to them.

The 60s was a massive change and recordings became political and the use of new techniques and sounds demanded better equipment to extract the new subtleties. I remember well the excitement of hearing more with a new cartridge.

But the Hi-Fi is a vehicle through which the art travels, a facilitator, and it is the art which is really the original core of the human excitement. I would hate to think that equipment fetishism had taken over, and that the music was secondary.

If Hi-Fi is in the doldrums relative to the past, the music itself may be the cause because it 'speaks ' to so few people.

[Mike Reed]

I cannot imagine that anybody for whom music is neither here nor there would be remotely interested in the equipment required to transcribe it. Was and is audio equipment designed for speech? Creators of audio kit must have been rooted in their desire to improve sonic delivery rather than simply exercising an interest in electronics, I feel.

[YNWaN]

This is born out by the fact that there are sites popping up on social media and the net in general for those of us interested in vintage equipment.

The above is the 'your logic' I was referring to. However, irrespective of the existence of logic or not, I still think you are wrong. As for 'speedracer's' belief that hi-fi has become a niche subject - err, yeah - it's always been a niche interest, this isn't a recent phenomena!

[paulf-2007]

If I mention hifi to most people I get a funny look, it's like train spotting, each to their own.

[speedracer]

The above is the 'your logic' I was referring to. However, irrespective of the existence of logic or not, I still think you are wrong. As for 'speedracer's' belief that hi-fi has become a niche subject - err, yeah - it's always been a niche interest, this isn't a recent phenomena!

Where did I claim to have been the first to observe this phenomenon? Pretty much all my hobbies, & everyone else's, are niche interests as you well know.

[Cyrus]

If I mention hifi to most people I get a funny look, it's like train spotting, each to their own.

I just say I'm into music (or even collecting LPs), much the same as a friend of mine; he plays his on a sub-£100 bluetooth turntable and I play mine on mine. I don't imagine either of us gets any more pleasure than the other, and I don't really try to convince him to buy into the whole hi-fi thing.

[anthonyTD]

Good post Tom,
And one I can certainly relate to :)
Can't relate to that at all, the better my kit gets the more I want to listen to it, and the more varied music I want to listen to as well. I buy as much if not more music now than I did in my uni days as a music student - half a dozen LPs yesterday from Oxfam in Wokingham, good stuff too. The biggest issue is where to put them!

I actually find it a big source of amusement that when I was in my teens and early 20s, 'fun' was generally defined as going round to my mates' houses with a bag of records (or have them come to mine), listening intently to the music with a bit of chat alongside some tea, biscuits and (if it was in the evening) alcohol. The hifi wasn't really the thing as most of us were too skint to afford anything but absolute budget gear, but it was hugely enjoyable and nobody spent time fussing about cartridge settings cos there was no way to set them!

Fast foward 30-40 years and what's some of the most fun you can have? Go round to your mates' houses with a bag of records, listening intently to the music with a bit of (admittedly often hifi-related) chat, + refreshments. In fact I did that for much of yesterday at Westlower's place (report on his new Tannoys to follow).

In the middle of course was wife, kids and family life and all that that for so many years consumed every penny and most of my attention, but now that both cash and attention are a bit more free, it's a lovely thing to get back into, and hifi forums have certainly helped with that over the last decade or so. (Though it turns out that one of my mates from the old days in Scotland has moved a few miles from me so we go to gigs again now.)

For me there's a wonderful symmetry to the whole thing.

[Pete The Cat]

To me part of the answer seems to go beyond the UK market.

There are the new middle classes in emerging markets to be catered for. Also the long term financial plans of technology giants such as Sony and Philips must surely include audio invention / reinvention. New software formats and distribution media will continue to emerge and they'll ensure that one gets a foothold. New hardware both lo-fi and hi-fi will flow from that. The technology, recording and hi-fi industries are symbiotic and have shown themselves to be very adept at marketing things that people already had in older guises.

The term hi-fi is outdated to many but versions of the hardware, whatever it's marketed as / called by the man in the street, will continue to be manufactured. IMHO that'll keep new generations and new places spending money on the stuff.

Pete

[Haselsh1]

Back when I was eighteen I hung about with a load of people learning to make a noise with guitars and drums and music very much came first. At around twenty I bought my first hi-fi and it kind of took over the music. Nowadays at almost fifty nine years old the music always comes first. Yes I have a nice hi-fi but it will never again be more important than the music. Back in the late nineties I had the most amazing hi-fi based around a Digital Analogue Company 'Ultimate' CD player, an Audion 300B SET integrated and a pair of Audio Note AZ-2's with an Alphason Sonata/HR100S SMCS arm and various other stuff but then I realised I hadn't actually bought any new music for years. I won't be in that position again but to keep on track with the thread, I think that the purchase of new hi-fi gear is on the way out as I do not think it is very important to people any more.

[Haselsh1]

The above is the 'your logic' I was referring to. However, irrespective of the existence of logic or not, I still think you are wrong. As for 'speedracer's' belief that hi-fi has become a niche subject - err, yeah - it's always been a niche interest, this isn't a recent phenomena!

I don't recall it being niche when it was sold at Dixons and Tandy.

[walpurgis]

I think audio and 'stereos' are possibly being confused with Hi-Fi.

Most people have something to play music on. Far fewer have what could be described as 'a Hi-Fi', let alone one that some thought and judgement went into.

Proper Hi-Fi has never been mainstream. I think it may have reached its broadest appeal in the later seventies. The interest continues, but on a lesser scale perhaps. And, yes I'd say it is a 'niche' pursuit to an extent. But so what?

[Macca]

I'd rather it was niche, once something becomes mainstream it gets ruined. Look at football and cricket.

And people have been predicting the end of hi-fi for as long as I have been involved which is 30 years. Some people just like to predict gloom and doom, is the only reason I can think of.

If the hobby is less popular then who is buying all that kit on eBay? But the same people who complain that the hobby is dying are also moaning about there being no bargains on eBay anymore. They can't be right about both!

[Firebottle]

If the hobby is less popular then who is buying all that kit on eBay? But the same people who complain that the hobby is dying are also moaning about there being no bargains on eBay anymore. They can't be right about both!

Good point Martin. Does make you think.

But then are people thinking they might get a good deal buying from e-bay?
I'd say no with the way prices are going.

[Pigmy Pony]

Nothing wrong with "niche"?

When all my mates were into team sports (football, rugby, cricket), I got into weightlifting and powerlifting.

While a lot of people I know play golf, which seems to be very popular, I took up archery.

While many people my age are buying caravans and motorhomes, me and the missus have a garage full of motorbikes.

If everyone got into Hi-Fi, I'm sure it would lose some of its appeal for me.

[Minstrel SE]

Its was always pretty niche though and I keep thinking of all the dealers that have closed down. Aston in Alderley edge, Swifts in Wilmslow...a place I loved in Stockport called Murrays which lasted about a year in the 1980s so it always seemed a tough market to sell in

Thats just off the top of my head. The local Bang and Olufsen centres still seem to be going though :)

Its hard to put a finger on other than most people just buy what they want to buy. If a phone and a bluetooth speaker does it for them who am I to complain. Its not actually a bad sound from a laptop into some Grados. I hope people make some effort to get a rated product.

I would like to see figures on units sold and think the serial numbers tell the true story compared with the total population

Anyway it can sound like snobbery. I dont really care what people buy if they are happy enough.

[Pete The Cat]

I still think the discussion is rather UK market-centric. Of course, maybe it was intended to be, but...

I picked a name at random (honest) - Mordaunt Short. Looking at their website they currently sell 6 types of floorstander and 7 types of standmount or bookshelf speaker. That doesn't sound like their market is drying up. Then look at the store locator - more territories than you can shake a pointy stick at. Then look at the distribution network - eg 18 retailers in India.

Either they're bucking the trend or there is still a taste for new hi-fi.

Pete

[Macca]

I still think the discussion is rather UK market-centric. Of course, maybe it was intended to be, but...

I picked a name at random (honest) - Mordaunt Short. Looking at their website they currently sell 6 types of floorstander and 7 types of standmount or bookshelf speaker. That doesn't sound like their market is drying up. Then look at the store locator - more territories than you can shake a pointy stick at. Then look at the distribution network - eg 18 retailers in India.

Either they're bucking the trend or there is still a taste for new hi-fi.

Pete

Good point. A niche market in India or China is still tens of millions of people. It's all on a different scale out there. Even if it became much more popular here in the UK we would still be a tiny market by comparison.

[Floyddroid]

The above is the 'your logic' I was referring to. However, irrespective of the existence of logic or not, I still think you are wrong. As for 'speedracer's' belief that hi-fi has become a niche subject - err, yeah - it's always been a niche interest, this isn't a recent phenomena!

Ffs take a chill pill.

[Floyddroid]

I'd rather it was niche, once something becomes mainstream it gets ruined. Look at football and cricket.

And people have been predicting the end of hi-fi for as long as I have been involved which is 30 years. Some people just like to predict gloom and doom, is the only reason I can think of.

If the hobby is less popular then who is buying all that kit on eBay? But the same people who complain that the hobby is dying are also moaning about there being no bargains on eBay anymore. They can't be right about both!

Fair point Macca.

[Pharos]

Countries go through cycles of economic abundance and decline, and I think Hi-Fi depends to an extent on the former, and this may also be prompted by artistic growth periods.

Other countries may well be going through a positive period and their aspiring people gaining economic power, so perhaps a rise in the 'middle class'.

I am almost coming to the conclusion that I am rather odd for valuing my Hi-Fi compared with most of the population, to the extent that I feel I may be in error for being so.

[struth]

Liking stuff that most others dont is great. But, if you want to join the pop idol crowd :ner:

[Macca]

I go with Ricky Roma and the law of reverse opinion: 'If everyone is saying one thing then I say bet the other way'.

[Crackles]

I go with Ricky Roma and the law of reverse opinion: 'If everyone is saying one thing then I say bet the other way'.There is a lot of sense in this! And even if there is no sense in it at all, it still gives you a sense of satisfaction that you are doing your own thing.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[bobvfr]

I understand the OP's point and in some ways it is true that Hi-Fi is no longer as mainstream as it was through the 60 and 70's but as others have pointed out there is still a large demand for top end stuff.

So how do these contradictory points balance out:

Think back to the 50's, 60's and 70's (I can manage two of them), what else was there to spend your money on if you take out women, cars and the pub, realistically it was Hi-Fi or cameras, both probably peaked in the 70's as consumer goods, in London Holborn and Tottenham Ct Rd were wall the wall Hi-Fi or camera shops, all of my mates (Working class lads in Battersea) when we were teenagers in the 70's had "Hi-Fi", we would watch The Old Grey Whistle Test and then head off to Clapham Junction the next pay day and buy an album or two.

How many teenagers do this now, like my boy they spend their money on PC's (So do I), games consoles (Got one as well) and stream to headphones or maybe a Bluetooth speaker system at best. Yes there are the odd ones who get Hi-Fi but they are a tiny minority compared to teenagers in the 70's and the older Hi-Fi buffs of the 50's and 60's.

Spending power is really in the hands of older people now (Like me), they have grown up with Hi-Fi being a norm and will spend lots of money on gear and it is this that keeps the industry afloat.

Yes there will be exceptions to this, but I am sure that is pretty close to the reality of the situation.

[Floyddroid]

I understand the OP's point and in some ways it is true that Hi-Fi is no longer as mainstream as it was through the 60 and 70's but as others have pointed out there is still a large demand for top end stuff.

So how do these contradictory points balance out:

Think back to the 50's, 60's and 70's (I can manage two of them), what else was there to spend your money on if you take out women, cars and the pub, realistically it was Hi-Fi or cameras, both probably peaked in the 70's as consumer goods, in London Holborn and Tottenham Ct Rd were wall the wall Hi-Fi or camera shops, all of my mates (Working class lads in Battersea) when we were teenagers in the 70's had "Hi-Fi", we would watch The Old Grey Whistle Test and then head off to Clapham Junction the next pay day and buy an album or two.

How many teenagers do this now, like my boy they spend their money on PC's (So do I), games consoles (Got one as well) and stream to headphones or maybe a Bluetooth speaker system at best. Yes there are the odd ones who get Hi-Fi but they are a tiny minority compared to teenagers in the 70's and the older Hi-Fi buffs of the 50's and 60's.

Spending power is really in the hands of older people now (Like me), they have grown up with Hi-Fi being a norm and will spend lots of money on gear and it is this that keeps the industry afloat.

Yes there will be exceptions to this, but I am sure that is pretty close to the reality of the situation.

Excellent post.

[Barry]

+1

[mannypr551]

+1If you love music , the better the system the more you can relate to that which you love . HiFi will die when music dies and music will never die because it is an integral part of what makes us humans . It might diminish in sales , the industry might shrink a bit but it won't entirely vanish . Remember " perfect sound forever " , a slogan used by Sony when they introduced the Compact Disc player . Everywhere people said that the turntable was dead . The industry tried to kill it by not selling Lps . Their were less and less Lps to buy .
But those who loved music and knew what a good turntable could do kept at it .A few turntables were still manufactured like Linn . The new generations who were born with cds as king , some who didn't even know what a turntable was , hearing the turntable for the first time were surprise at the quality of sound produced by even an inexpensive turntable . Nowadays there are more and more turntables on the market with their ancillary equipment as phono stages and so on . The turntable has come back from the dead . Why ? Because of our love of music . As long as there is love for the music there will be people willing to spend their hard earn money to get closer to the musical experience .

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk

[magiccarpetride]

I often wonder if the interest in Hi-Fi/audio is finally starting to wane? It is of course an pastime/interest/hobby of people from a bygone era. This is born out by the fact that there are sites popping up on social media and the net in general for those of us interested in vintage equipment. The Hi-Fi industry as a whole still seems strong though i wonder how long it can last? :scratch:

In my experience, things are getting better. Not that long ago you needed multi-thousand dollar investment for any single quality audio component. But my recent purchases convinced me that the technology is advancing, and now we can get sub-thousand dollars components that give the fancier equipment run for its money.

Two cases in point -- Jelco 750E 10" tonearm (paid $625.00) really sounds like a multi-thousand dollars tonearm. The level of craftsmanship is stunning, even before you hear it in action. If you didn't know any better, when you receive that tonearm, and by looking at the care Japanese manufacturers put into packaging, you'd think it's a multi thousand dollars component.

Another recent purchase -- iFi Micro iPhono 2 stage. Paid only $575.00 and it delivers sound quality that matches much more expensive phono preamps.

The point is that with a relatively modest investment it is possible nowadays to cobble up a hi fi system that will sound almost as good as those ultra high end ultra expensive systems. So I think the future looks bright, and thanks to the growing community of passionate hobbyists, it is now easier than ever to receive proper guidance and quickly assemble solid systems that will give you years of aural pleasure.

[paulf-2007]

I understand the OP's point and in some ways it is true that Hi-Fi is no longer as mainstream as it was through the 60 and 70's but as others have pointed out there is still a large demand for top end stuff.

So how do these contradictory points balance out:

Think back to the 50's, 60's and 70's (I can manage two of them), what else was there to spend your money on if you take out women, cars and the pub, realistically it was Hi-Fi or cameras, both probably peaked in the 70's as consumer goods, in London Holborn and Tottenham Ct Rd were wall the wall Hi-Fi or camera shops, all of my mates (Working class lads in Battersea) when we were teenagers in the 70's had "Hi-Fi", we would watch The Old Grey Whistle Test and then head off to Clapham Junction the next pay day and buy an album or two.

How many teenagers do this now, like my boy they spend their money on PC's (So do I), games consoles (Got one as well) and stream to headphones or maybe a Bluetooth speaker system at best. Yes there are the odd ones who get Hi-Fi but they are a tiny minority compared to teenagers in the 70's and the older Hi-Fi buffs of the 50's and 60's.

Spending power is really in the hands of older people now (Like me), they have grown up with Hi-Fi being a norm and will spend lots of money on gear and it is this that keeps the industry afloat.

Yes there will be exceptions to this, but I am sure that is pretty close to the reality of the situation.lets not forget the musical instrument shops in Charing Cross road, Tottenham Court Road and Denmark street. In fact I reckon there was more interest in playing or trying to play music than listening in the '60s and '70s, or at least as much.