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The return of the DIYer

I’ve been thinking about several trends and forces that are affecting our hobby and how this will change things.

The global pandemic and supply issues, unemployment and how disposable income has dwindled in the middle class over the last 30-40 years. The brick and mortar showroom is vanishing, and audio shows have become scarce. About the only aspect of the audio industry which has not dwindled or hurt as much are bloggers/review sites and DIY suppliers.

Our hobby grew up out of tinkerers and experimenters, and then seemed to have been subsumed by the all powerful consumer. The arm chair speaker or amplifier designer who could talk tech without every doing a bit of math or soldering became what we call a "true audiophile" so long as they regularly bought and sold gear.

Now though, perhaps the tables are turning. The lack of funds in many an audiophile’s pocket, lack of ability to go listen for yourself, I’d like to believe the age of the mega speaker holding the cover of audio magazines is over. I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing most mega-speakers vanish, being rarely more than excess without commensurate capabilities. Tweaked sounds, and fashionable trends in frequency alterations dominated the press and showrooms.

Is that all over? And if it is over, are we ready to return to our roots as makers instead of buyers, or are we in a temporary malaise? Nothing more than a flu from which we will bounce back? Or is the DIY er himself to vanish as well with the hobby?
erik_squires
cd318
2,636 posts
 
Even though it can be cheaper to buy a ready made PC off the shelf some folk still prefer to build their own.

When it comes to audio it is always cheaper to build (or at least assemble) equipment yourself.

I can't imagine many established companies willing to provide the parts themselves, or else we might all be assembling a Rega P10 ourselves!

Neither can I imagine many dealers and reviewers being too happy either.

Nevertheless, the option should be there for those like myself that might want it.

For a while money became more valuable than time, but thanks to crazy Joe and all of his installed ilk, that might be about to change.
danager's avatar
danager
945 posts
 
The   Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
When did that happen?  Man I'm behind.
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
"The Germans bombed Pearl Harbor."

A little alt. right humor???
knotscott
919 posts
 
If you’re happy with the stuff you hear in the stores and can afford to buy it, there’s likely no reason to explore other options. The prospect of 40% to 50% of my audio budget going into someone else’s pockets never sat well with me, and fostered the pursuit of alternative methods to acquiring what I wanted. Learning to tweak and modify existing equipment led to DIY and building stuff from scratch....for me it’s the ultimate puzzle, and ultimate learning experience.

With the availability of information on the web more prevalent than ever, there's little reason not to jump in with both feet if you have even half an inkling to get your DIY feet wet.  
alexberger
904 posts
 
Hi @mrklas ,

I have a much more interesting journey that most audiophiles buying a new stuff. I always tweaking my amplifier, phonostage, crossover. I change schematics and parts. I customize everything for MY TASTE.
And yes I have some background that helps me too, BSc in Electronics.
My DIY experience gave me much deeper understanding in audio compared to people that know nothing about electronics but brainwashed by sneaky audio dealers and reviewers.
Yes, I went to audio show and audio salons before the pandemic. A just a few of rooms I heard sounded good.
And the most interesting no correlation between the prices of the systems and sound quality. Actually most super expensive rooms on shows sound horrible!
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