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Rant against the industry with hopes for discussion on positive change

As a 20 year hobbyist who has worked around the industry and made tons of contacts I really worry about the future of this hobby. 
 

For the last 30 years the industry has catered to an aging  clientele which I can tell you as a used gear guy a large percentage of my inventory comes from audiophiles who have passed away and at 38 i rarely meet people my age or near who are hobbyists. 
 

The industry is about the shadiest mainstream industry that has fought standards tooth and nail which is why amp and speaker ratings are all over the place confusing and discouraging the casual consumer. 
 

Millenials and Gen Z have spoken loudly that they won’t support shady business practices however market trends show that like audiophiles they bought a cheap Bluetooth speaker, than eventually a better and eventually a nice one. They want a option that is currently really only available from Devialet and a couple other manufactures. 
 

Also sales people use the technique that “you don’t know how to listen to music, you need to sit motionless in one spot” music reproduction needs to adapt to modern life where people are living smaller spaces with far more media options than ever before. 
 

As a guy on the border of Gen X and millennial I’ve built 4 rigs for friends over the years because I always get the response of “I can’t give up a whole wall, that’s insane” 

 

I would really like to see a company make a 12” and 15” Tannoy gold tv stand with volume control, bass, treble and loudness knobs as well as USB charging with an outlet strip on the back and a shelf for a PS5 or Xbox… that way they get big clean sound for example

 

What are y’all’s thoughts on ways the industry can still thrive and meet the new demands of consumers while getting good music to more people? Without a new influx I don’t see how the majority of brands and brick and mortars and stay on business due to a decline in clientele

128x128systembuilder
rhg3
207 posts
 

There's no shortage of theories as to why younger folks aren't interested in "hi-fi" or 2 channel audio. Here's one more. 

I don't know of any folks under 40 (50?) who listen to music as a primary activity. In my experience, it's one of many activities going on at the same time, essentially becoming background music. 

Contrast this to pre-Internet days where listening to music WAS the primary activity. Folks played music and listened to music, and that provided sufficient enjoyment. 

No one has the attention span for that these days, their brains are being bombarded with competing dopamine inputs mostly sourced through their phone. 

They like music, they just want to listen to it while doing something else. And they could care less if it was "Hi-Fi", so they're certainly not going to spend money on it.

 

 

 

fthompson251's avatar
fthompson251
454 posts
 

I see the younger generation more leaning toward HT set ups. Multi channel systems.

gladmo's avatar
gladmo
364 posts
 

Lots of younger people that want higher quality sound reproduction are satisfied with the new wave of IEMs, including ChiFi, a portable DAC/amp, and a streaming service.  Headphone rigs too.  This is cutting deeper into the 2.1 system market.

ghdprentice
7,051 posts
 

@mapman +1

 

I have been a hard core enthusiast for 50 years. It has always been a niche market. It has always been on the brink of disaster. But the breathtaking increase in products available has been amazing. If this is a dying pursuit, then why so many new brands?

Sure us old farts are dying out. That has always been true… and we are the ones with the most expensive equipment… makes sense. The guys with the Marantz Model 1s, and 1960 Corvettes are dead.

So, I imagine a small percentage of the home theater and mp3 folks will make more money and love music… and pursue the high end. But also, the sound quality for the money is going up, so there may be less impetus for quite as many people to do really high end stuff. But I do not think we are talking buggy whips here.

macg19
940 posts
 

My own rant loosely tied to the comments about phones and limited attention spans...

I was in a customs line for over an hour recently and some kids were watching TikTok videos non-stop (at least I think that's what they were). 15 second videos of utter nonsense.

As I stood there watching this I thought we're doomed as doomed can be.

For parents, social media is a cheap and easy babysitter. 

No way these kids are going to grow up wanting to sit and listen to an album all at once.

btw too much screen time and not enough sunshine is the root cause of the myopia epidemic and a bunch of other negative side-effects we have yet to fully realize.

Just enjoy the music and don't worry about the industry.

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