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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
9,923 posts
 

I got to know quite well the manager of the Classical department at my local Tower Records. He had a very negative opinion of what he referred to as audiofools---those who care more about the sonic quality of a recording than its’ artistic content. My argument that the former could be a limiting factor in the listeners’ ability to perceive the latter was met with a blank stare.

That manager was a big fan of Leonard Bernstein, which was in a way perfect; Bernstein’s recordings are high in artistic content, somewhat low in sound quality. I hate when that happens; a lot of my favorite Pop (non-Classical) music and artists were also recorded in mediocre or worse sound quality. I'm too much of an audiophile to not care, too much of a music lover to let that stop me from listening to it and them.

michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio OP
1,019 posts
 

Another CES article from Jan 30 2017

http://hometheaterreview.com/high-end-audio-at-ces-a-post-mortem/

orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

There are enough factors working against HEA in the United States to "guarantee" it's demise. Besides the factors mentioned, poverty is working it's way up the ladder of success; too many poor people who can not buy what the next man up the ladder is selling, which means that man can not buy what the guy on the rung higher than him is selling. Necessities come first; guess where HEA ranks?

Evidently, A'goners are way up the ladder, because I have never encountered a group of people so unaware of poverty. Only the rich will completely escape this inevitable, but fairly slow movement as it works it's way up the ladder of success.

Speaking of the rich; when I was in Real Estate, I came in contact with very wealthy people, and all I ever saw was a beautiful console. Since I was there on business, the conversation never strayed; no casual conversation for the peasants they encounter when necessary.


orpheus10
8,668 posts
 

I spent a lot of time in high end emporiums when such places existed, and many of the people were middle income, who explained to me, that it's a matter of priorities; they would rather have HEA than an expensive car like their friends. I don't believe even those middle incomes are in abundance like they used to be.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Another clue was the decision by John Curl and Bob Crump around twenty years ago - my how time flies! - to design and produce what are probably best referred to as entry level high end, I.e., more affordable, products like JC-1, and abandon their efforts as CTC (Crump, Thompson and Curl) the last year they showed their fabulous but expensivo Bar B Q amplifier and Blowtorch preamp way back in 2000, having had the foresight to realize that dog won’t hunt. 🐩
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