Reviewing the Reviewers - and the decline of HiFi

Interesting analysis, Lohanimal. If, as you say, high end audio is becoming a cottage industry, would it be safe to say that it can be rescued and maintained by the remaining major brands that still hold audio to a higher standard?

I'm referring to brands like Luxman, Accuphase, Marantz, etc. that have the wherewithal to weather the economic storms and retain that look and feel that we associate with the high end, not to mention the niche players and local makes that seem to be doing just fine for the moment.

Reviewers of any sort aside, for the moment, these that I mention will be around for a long time to come. I believe the relevancy of reviewers is overstated and despite the debate, only provide a touchstone of sorts.

All the best,
Nonoise

Mrtennis responded that if HiFi is in decline, then the product should be declining too. Not true I would say, because of the rise of small, specialist manufacturers. In the 19070's with a true mass market for HiFi, I suspect the one man and his dog outfits would have been crushed by the majors, Pioneer, Linn etc. Now these large companies have left the stage, so to speak. The little guy has come to the fore and I think we are as well or better served by manufacturers now as in the 70's. It's ironic, that as Vinyl and even more so, CD are becoming legacy formats, we are seeing such a range of fantastic and fantasticly expensive kit to play them on.

HiFi+, which is the only magazine I read, had it's 100th issue this month and the editor tried to speculate where the hobby/industry, would be at issue 200. The answer was, he had absolutely no idea, technology is moving that fast.

Courant's contribution was of great interest, but told us what most of us expected. Magazines run on advertising copy, not magazine sales, so are beholden to the manufacturers. I personally don't think most magazines would give 5 stars to a rubbish product, they would quietly send it back to the manufacturer and not do a review. There is sense to this too. Why spend 5 pages advising readers not to buy a product. The magazines are finding it just as tough as the manufacturers. I found out that HiFi News one of the biggest UK magazines, has a monthly circulation of about 8000 copies. I find that astonishing and just wonder how it can survive.

One man and his dog is all good and well, but he has some difficulty serving the masses or relating what he makes to the buying public - hence he remains one man and his dog. Hi fi is in decline, yet music sales have increased year on year. The growth of streaming products, and things like the Devialet are good news IMHO - modern, stylish, versatile, and sounds brilliant. That said products like Magico and other uber expensive speakers are bad news - out of touch. Magazines and reviews that slap the back of such products every time they come out is also bad news - I was impressed with Fremer being one of the very few reviewers not to be bowled over by some Magico (Q5's) I think. Read an Alan Sircom review and he simply has nothing bad or negative to say. Hi fi needs to become genuinely affordable again, and reviewing must reflect that realiseable reality.

OK then lets start out making a new hi fi movement altogether. Ther was a web site about it not long ago but lets try again affordable audio we will mainstream, we'll call pop music, main wave. We will congratulate those who make good stuff cheap. Maybe not the last top 5% we all chase which can be left alone, which can carry on in the fashion it has.
You know we are not the only people who care about older technology. I collect and use fountain pens and there are plenty of people who shell out $400-500 day in and day out for these pens. A perfectly usable fountain pen can be bought for about $1.50 and is thrown out like any old ball point. I am not suggesting that user of cheap pens gain an appreciation for slightly better ones but it may be as hard as getting people to appreciate mid fi. That stuff used to dominate. Ah the good old days Pioneer, Kenwood, Yamaha, Sansui, and better McIntosh, Accuphase even B and O, before that Fisher, Scott Bogen, Sherwood, Harmon Kardon etc.Oh well Where have they all gone...
I do have hope I noticed that people seem to want better headphones and are willing to pay for it. wWell see..

If you're writing for enthusiasts, then a) you better be enthusiastic, and b) you better create voyeauristic experiences with unattainable objects. Otherwise your audience will choose a different purveyor.

The audio press supports the illusion that there is a vector towards better and better that is moving far faster than actuality, which feeds the underlying consumerism that supports the industry, but after fifty years of variation on a theme it is far more likely that these are mostly just variations in subtle differences. There will be a next AR preamp, heralded with rave reviews of 'better' and calls to consume it, but it is unlikely to be better than all that have preceded it.