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Is this the end of HEA?

http://www.cepro.com/article/is_this_the_end_of_high_performance_audio_at_ces

This last year has made my ears perk up. Honestly I didn't even know the article above had been written until now. What I did know was listeners have been in touch with me about the future of HEA and their future as advanced listeners. It's been nice to see folks getting in touch with me and even nicer that they are doing so because they wish to settle into their final system sound. To say things in their words "it's been an expensive ride" and most of these folks aren't sure they've gotten a fair shake always from the hobby. Many feel they have bank rolled a part of a hobby that hasn't always delivered the goods. Basically instead of telling listeners that this is a variable hobby the "experts" pushed a very expensive game of component Plug & Play onto the discrete audio generation. I remember those days of guilt buying where a dollar amount was used as a representative for quality, when it meant no such thing. I knew first hand this was not the case as designers scrambled to make up-sell products that sounded less musical than the original products that put their name in audio fame. I also could see the HEA decline happening but still was giving the benefit of the doubt to those saying HEA was just fine and growing. Mom and pop stores for the most part have vanished in the US with the exception of a few creative thinkers. New expensive products are being adored but I don't see many actually buying them. Now I've got my eye on T.H.E. Show (Richard's show) and wondering if it's happening or not. Richard and I have talked many times about what will happen to HEA in the US if T.H.E. Show and CES cease doing their thing in Vegas. I wonder what Richard RIP is thinking now sitting in the clouds.

I am very excited to see the next few years come about even though I know some are still buying into the old paradigm that the HEA is the cutting edge with only a volume control to adjust and a fork lift included with every purchase. Going to the CES web, I have my answer for Vegas. Going to T.H.E. Show website I'm still in question. If these two are no more, in terms of HEA, who's next?

Michael Green

128x128michaelgreenaudio
janmnov
35 posts
 
My 19 year old son just came in while I was reading this discussion chain.  I summarized the sentiment of this forum and asked him for his opinion.
I should begin by saying for the last 4-5 years he has watched (and listened) as my system evolved from mid level to higher level gear.  (Odyssey pre and amps, Magnepan 1.7i, then to Pass Labs, Focal 1038be2, cable upgrades, now to my current Scala Utopias).
He has always enjoyed coming into my listening room to hear how the songs he knows so well (from his earbuds and Bluetooth speakers), sound on my system, as well as discovering new music together.  He is hooked, to say the least, and I have given him the gear I have moved up from, for him to enjoy in his own space once he has graduated from University.  He said this is important to him and he values the degree to which high end audio can deliver.  He looks very much forward to the day when he can hook up the components he has inherited! 
I would agree with the poster who said,  'they don't know it until they hear it'.  This is very true as most of his friends haven't been exposed to high quality audio equipment, but when they have a listen, they hear what it has to offer and it does make an impression.  What they choose to do with that will depend on their income, lifestyle and many other factors.  
So perhaps it is best for those who seem to worry that HEA is dying, to listen to their systems with young people, but listen to THEIR music, not yours, and you just might find you've helped to create the next generation audiophile.
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

Who are we? I mean the people engaged in these conversations. Most of us are seniors from what I can surmise. To begin with, we have a common desire for HEA; that's because we know what a difference it makes in the recorded music we listen to, and we can distinguish between good, also ran, and the top tier; hence, the demand is exclusively "us'. There will be no new people to replace "us".

Many people can't tell the difference between good "mid fi" and HEA. Those people are not about to pay the gigantic difference in price between the two. We have digital that's dirt cheap, and analog that's through the sky; which is going to sell when not everyone can tell the difference?

Before, I thought this HEA slowdown had to do with economics, now I'm not so sure, but I'm glad I'm on the buying end as opposed to the selling end.

This circle will get smaller and smaller, plus even more expensive for the truest of HEA; that I believe is the answer to your question; although we can rationalize something with new technology is cheaper, is it HEA?


mustbethemusic
17 posts
 
I have two responses to the end of HEA conundrum. 
1 - Most music listeners, regardless of generation, have never spent a substantial amount of money on audio. There were always a select few who invested in anything beyond a small console stereo or component setup. The question isn't if HEA is dead as much as we delude ourselves in thinking its proliferation was ever as great as we like to reminisce.
2 - The challenge for this hobby is that there is way too much conversation about the stuff and not the music, which is what drew me to wanting to invest more into the enjoyment of music, not the comparable transient difference between cables, blah, blah, blah. If you want to turn people off, start talking about the difference between silver and copper wiring in your speaker wire. But when I play a contemporary song on my system, the interest increases immediately for members of the younger generation. They literally say, "I've never heard that song sound that way before." Will this lead to investment of thousands of dollars of equipment for most people … no. I don't have a stereo in hopes that all my friends will follow suit. But to the degree that I can enjoy a greater listening opportunity with the music I love, I'm more than happy to invest my time and money. 
I also push back against the issue of cost of truly HEA at events. I've never been to a consumer show of any kind, where manufacturers displayed their low to middle end products. Even Chevrolet puts the latest Corvette ZO6 on display, recognizing that most people will never step up to that model. It's called a hallo affect. Consumers are more than capable of buying below the top of the line when the opportunity exists. That might suggest that manufacturers should bring down list models to shows to give people a sense of what is attainable within a brand. 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,821 posts
 

Real good points @mustbethemusic. Very few people these days just sit and listen to music, as a destination activity. Many people just like a particular song by any given entertainer (as opposed to artist ;-), and are not necessarily interested in the album that song is on.

I have spent much of the leisure time in my life listening intently to music, as I believe have many others here. For us, a good system is a worthwhile investment, as it provides deeper immersion into music. For those to whom music is not as important, a good system is not necessary.

There ARE young people really into music---I saw a bunch of them looking through the LP racks at Music Millennium in Portland yesterday. I found a new/unopened copy of Lucinda Williams' 2011 album Blessed, the limited edition deluxe version, sale priced at $19.99. The CD floor was almost deserted!

teo_audio
2,197 posts
 
CES is dying it’s a dealer show. Costs a fortune to attend...and everyone with a soul hates Vegas, no one wants to go there.

Audio shows all over the world are thriving and growing.

The death of CES for audio is tied to the growth of those other shows.

So no, high end audio is not going anywhere. In the grand scale of time, sure it’s a goner. But in the now.... not so much.
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