- Jun 10, 2020
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I visit a lot of homes with my job. Most people don't have what you would recognise as a HiFi. But them we have the other extreme, systems they don't use. HiFi as home decoration to look nice and/or impress their friends.
The most notable example on this was a few years ago when I saw stunning 1970's setup. Marantz receiver and record player and big Tannoy monitors. I immediately spotted that the record player was missing a stylus, on closer inspection there were no cables attached to amp! Admiring the pristine equipment I noted it wasn't connected up and enquired if it was a recent acquisition. The response was that it was just for show. "the amp doesn't work, and I am rebuilding the record player over time. don't know if I will ever use it I don't have any vinyl". It transpired the speakers worked and were connected to a streaming amp hidden in the cupboard below.
While this was an extreme example of HiFi as home decoration, I see more and more homes with record plays, often very good ones, and only a handful of records. Some of this is novelty value, but others, its for show! If HiFi s becoming home decor accessories for some, will this impact the the aesthetics and appearance for some manufacturers? Will we see more retro looking equipment? Or a return to the style over substance hayday of Bang & Olufsen? There seems to be a recent trend for bright coloured loudspeakers, some of these have a retro-future vibe.
Images are for illustration not the actual components I saw. I guessed at the receiver from memory, but do remember the record player was a Model 6300.
The most notable example on this was a few years ago when I saw stunning 1970's setup. Marantz receiver and record player and big Tannoy monitors. I immediately spotted that the record player was missing a stylus, on closer inspection there were no cables attached to amp! Admiring the pristine equipment I noted it wasn't connected up and enquired if it was a recent acquisition. The response was that it was just for show. "the amp doesn't work, and I am rebuilding the record player over time. don't know if I will ever use it I don't have any vinyl". It transpired the speakers worked and were connected to a streaming amp hidden in the cupboard below.
While this was an extreme example of HiFi as home decoration, I see more and more homes with record plays, often very good ones, and only a handful of records. Some of this is novelty value, but others, its for show! If HiFi s becoming home decor accessories for some, will this impact the the aesthetics and appearance for some manufacturers? Will we see more retro looking equipment? Or a return to the style over substance hayday of Bang & Olufsen? There seems to be a recent trend for bright coloured loudspeakers, some of these have a retro-future vibe.
Images are for illustration not the actual components I saw. I guessed at the receiver from memory, but do remember the record player was a Model 6300.
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