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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
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,831 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.
inna
7,296 posts
 
Right. True audiophiles have always been a rare breed, now probably even rarer. Some will remain, at least for as long as analog recordings are available, old and new. Digital will not create audiophiles.
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

Mustbethemusic, me and an audiophile friend of mine auditioned an "affordable" SS ARC preamp that was loaned to me, and we didn't get very far into the first record before we declared it a "no show". Anytime I have auditioned bottom of the line "affordable" gear with a big time name, I have experienced the same results.

HEA is expensive for the average person, there is no getting around it, and just because a piece of gear has a high end moniker, does not make it HEA.
mustbethemusic
17 posts
 
Orpheus - I understand your reference point. My point is that two buck chuck audio as in two buck chuck wine is fine for some but not necessarily for those who have developed a more refined pallet. The challenge or opportunity is can we set our own refined taste aside long enough to allow others to enjoy their version of low-high end audio? 
I believe we create false exclusivity by calling ourselves audiophiles. I'm not sure what the term really means. I was shocked when I was called an audiophile when I mentioned I listened to vinyl. I find the term misplaced and intimidating frankly. The way some of us toss around technical jargon, I forget that we are even talking about music. As I listen to Wayne Shorter - Hear No Evil, if i'm thinking about my gear versus immersing myself into the content, then I've not only gone to far over the high end audio pursuit, I've forgotten what drew me into this hobby in the first place. Maybe we need to remind ourselves that its HEA for the sake of the music, not the music for the sake of HEA. if we forget this then HEA should die, because we sucked all the life out of it. 
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