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Hi end audio equip sounds better today than in decades past due to tech - T/F

I am in a hi-end audio store today, speaking with the owner, who has been in the audio business for almost 40 yrs. Super nice guy. Can talk up a storm - but as a good thing... where someone like me can learn a thing or two.

He said something that I found curious... audio equipment (pres, amps, rcvrs, speakers) sound better today than just 20 years ago, b/c ’they didn’t have the same technology back then we have today'. Why? Better materials, better components, better r/d... the stuff just sounds better in today’s world, he is telling me.

Coming from someone who doesn’t know any better.... is there any truth to this?
riffwraith
alexberger
905 posts
 
Affordable audio got much better.
High End audio got more expensive with a similar quality.

The niche between the high end was filled with direct selling companies like Tekton, Schiit Audio, Emotiva, Woo Audio ...
And I think it is great!

I am not familiar with audio dealers in Canada here.
But judging by the Israeli audio dealers, they are: crooks, liars, hucksters, bastards.
Thank goodness I switched to vintage and home-made audio and have not had a dealt with audio dealers for a long time. I only see their sly faces on audio show in Montreal.
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
The vibrant market in vintage audio products is pure nostalgia.

Or is it?
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
No, no truth to it at all. Same with cars, planes, medical equipment, bicycles, telescopes, rockets - nearly anything you care to name as technological equipment. No way a new item can outperform the old. Really, there is no reason for technological progress, as the old was good enough.

This is especially true when one’s wallet controls all decisions in terms of "diminishing returns". ;)

In fact, what you really want to do in order to beat the industry at its own game is to buy mid to low-fi gear, then spend inordinately on room tuning and tweaks. For sure, that will get you really close to SOTA!  LOL  

erik_squires
16,060 posts
 
The one major area where gear sounds so much better is DACs.

About 20 years ago there was a significant improvement, and Redbook suddenly sounded almost as good as 96/24. Not sure what happened, but it was a real seismic shift upwards in even low cost, USB powered gear. The need to use high resolution formats to get excellent performance almost vanished.

Speakers as well now can be much more neutral and extended in the top octaves with less distortion.  Not all, of course, but a lot of brands have gotten truly excellent tweeters, far better than early Be or micro-motor diamond tweeters. Magico, Monitor Audio, Sonus Faber, Legacy, YG and others have pushed this part of the envelope forward a great deal.
akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,242 posts
 
I had the MAANTZ 2245 receiver, JBL l00 speakers, and an ELAC MIRACORD turntable back in my university days in the 70’s. it was considered a top-shelf audio system back then in the Jurassic Era of audio.

My take:

- today’s equipment smokes that "vintage" era gear.
- Sure, it still appeals to certain cohort of fans today, mostly from a fond nostalgia, just like old cars.
- "Vintage" in audio is not the same perception of perceived product step-up as "vintage" in old wine. It just means "old" and in need of attention for age-related failing parts..
-And it still won’t best today’s modest price strata offerings even if restored.(just like old cars ...)..

But one can enjoy them if that’s the nostalgia straw that stirs their drink..
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