is hi-fi all but dead

[admin_exported]

who thinks hi-fi is all but dead
and av is taking over as the main home entertainment passtime
you just have to look at the main stores and you no longer
see any hifi seperates only cheap mini hifi systems
i still like tinker with my hifi and really enjoy listening to real hifi
so what do you think of todays hifi scene or whats left off it.

 

[Anonymous]

I think it's not mainstream anymore but specialist, and people who go AV eventually want to go back to stereo.

 

[Anonymous]

silly:I think it's not mainstream anymore but specialist, and people who go AV eventually want to go back to stereo.

Totally concur,

They come to their senses and reject the surround sound hype for what it is

 

[Anonymous]

Yep, i,ll go along with that.

 

[The_Lhc]

MENISCUS: silly:I think it's not mainstream anymore but specialist, and people who go AV eventually want to go back to stereo.
Totally concur,

They come to their senses and reject the surround sound hype for what it is

i

AGREE!11!!! mY MOVEIS SOUND MUCH BETTER IN STERIO!!!1!!

 

[matthewpiano]

Hi-fi isn't dead at all. It has always been a minority interest, relatively speaking.

What has changed is that the performance gap between budget kit and more expensive stuff has got much smaller and the law of diminishing returns sets in much earlier than ever before. You have to spend a huge amount of money to get significant improvements over kit like NAD, Cambridge Audio and budget Marantz.

As for surround sound I think its great for movies.

 

[margetti]

No

 

[the record spot]

I've never been in a position to get surround sound for the home, but never been really energised enough to want it which is probably more accurate. I love it in the cinema, but for many people, they've bought their telly, they've bought their DVD, now Blu-Ray player, or a PS3 with Blu-Ray onboard, whatever and then they got music in surround sound too.

I think it can be good for some albums, but likewise, I don't think it necessarily works for all music all of the time. I heard they'd put out a 5.1 for Motorhead's Ace of Spades album which cracked me up. Apparently they had recorded a track or two with a tambourine, but for all that, I've never felt my listening experience for that LP to be lacking in some way having never heard anyone shaking it in the background!!

Is hifi dead? No, but it is a niche hobby in the consumer electronics market and for all I dip my toe in the water about once every five years or so, it's a fun one.

 

[jaxwired]

Great topic! In the USA, it's not completely dead, but it is a shell of a once big industry. The only 2 channel Hi Fi retailers that still exist are very high end (wine/cheese art gallery / Hi Fi beautique).

The first culprit is home theater. There's way more money for retailers in home theater than in Hi Fi. Regular working people will drop $10k on their home theater. So all the retailers switched to focus on that. Also, home theater is a much bigger market from the start. The movie watching population is way bigger than the music buying population. And women watch movies, most have little interest in music. So this means wives will approve purchases on home theater, but not on Hi Fi.

The big box stores in the US don't even sell 2 channel Hi Fi equipment anymore. They don't even have speaker audition areas anymore. Nobody cares. Everyone just buys the HTIB.

The second nail in the coffin is the iPOD. Don't need to buy a HiFi if you only listen to iPOD music...

Oh yeah, and all the kids of the home theater people have never even heard a good HiFi so they are not being educated about the hobby.

 

[manicm]

jaxwired:

Great topic! In the USA, it's not completely dead, but it is a shell of a once big industry. The only 2 channel Hi Fi retailers that still exist are very high end (wine/cheese art gallery / Hi Fi beautique).

The first culprit is home theater. There's way more money for retailers in home theater than in Hi Fi. Regular working people will drop $10k on their home theater. So all the retailers switched to focus on that. Also, home theater is a much bigger market from the start. The movie watching population is way bigger than the music buying population. And women watch movies, most have little interest in music. So this means wives will approve purchases on home theater, but not on Hi Fi.

The big box stores in the US don't even sell 2 channel Hi Fi equipment anymore. They don't even have speaker audition areas anymore. Nobody cares. Everyone just buys the HTIB.

The second nail in the coffin is the iPOD. Don't need to buy a HiFi if you only listen to iPOD music...

Oh yeah, and all the kids of the home theater people have never even heard a good HiFi so they are not being educated about the hobby.

Well to a smaller extent the iPod may be a catalyst for hifi sales, if only for convenience. It's not uncommon for people to have 2 iPods, one at home serving hifi duty and one on the road.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

MENISCUS:
silly:I think it's not mainstream anymore but specialist, and people who go AV eventually want to go back to stereo.

Totally concur,

They come to their senses and reject the surround sound hype for what it is

I disagree. Although I use my stereo speakers as my front left and right for my 5.1 system, everything else is separate. You cannot beat a surround system for movies, anyone who suggests otherwise has not listened to a good system. And I don't see that people would go back to listening in stereo. I don't listen to music in surround sound and I wouldn't want to.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I think hi-fi does lose a certain amount of people every year to AV, but we feel hi-fi is far from dead - our 2 channel sales are quite healthy, and look to increase over last year, despite the so called credit crunch.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Gerrardasnails:I disagree. Although I use my stereo speakers as my front left and right for my 5.1 system, everything else is separate. You cannot beat a surround system for movies, anyone who suggests otherwise has not listened to a good system. And I don't see that people would go back to listening in stereo. I don't listen to music in surround sound and I wouldn't want to.

Well said that man

 

[Frank Harvey]

I'm not totally disagreeing, but there are a number of people who have gone back to stereo, even for movies. This is because they don't want the hassle of extra boxes, cables and speakers - but they also don't want the crappy quality that 2.1 AV systems provide compared to the 2 channel quality they're used to. They'd rather listen to the TV and movies through their high quality 2 channel system.

I agree Gerrard, a 'real' 5.1/7.1 system can't be beaten for movies, but for some people it's preferable to lowering their quality standards AND paying out a grand or so to achieve it.

I disagree Meniscus that surround sound is hype - as Gerrard states, a decent AV system can be breathtaking, and every bit as enjoyable as an equivalent quality 2 channel system.

 

[manicm]

I for one have been watching movies in stereo up till now, and I don't doubt a good surround sound will be mind-blowing, but for me the concept 'ignorance is bliss' works perfectly right now. I also will not have the space or patience for all those blinking wires.

What I won't compromise on is the picture quality, so look forward to new BDP-S360 and a good HD telly to go with it in a few months.

Oh, what I will consider is the new B&W Panorama - should be a great compromise. Admit it's pricey, but like JD who likes his spiffy knobs, I like my curves

 

[Anonymous]

FrankHarveyHiFi:I think hi-fi does lose a certain amount of people every year to AV, but we feel hi-fi is far from dead - our 2 channel sales are quite healthy, and look to increase over last year, despite the so called credit crunch.when talking to my local dealer a couple of months back when the recession wass still building he said that their home cinema sales had slumped, but the stereo side had grown so i have to agree with this.

I'd also say that i would much rather sacrifice the surround sound than the stereo sound if i had to choose between the two.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Many people would rather sacrifice AV quality than their 2 channel quality.

As for 2 channel sales, because of the ranges we have on demonstration, hi-fi tends to be a consistently good seller anyway.

 

[jaxwired]

FrankHarveyHiFi:

Many people would rather sacrifice AV quality than their 2 channel quality.

As for 2 channel sales, because of the ranges we have on demonstration, hi-fi tends to be a consistently good seller anyway.

That's true for me. I have a very nice 47" Sony LCD and I watch movies using the TV speakers. Does not bother me in the slightest. Most movies I watch would benefit only marginally from better sound anyway. To me, all that money and equipment on movie sound is massive overkill and totally not worth it. If I was a millionaire, then yes I would have it all built into the walls, but I would have to be very rich to spend the money on it. However, in the USA, I am a freak in this regard. The masses LOVE home theater. I'm encourage to hear that the UK has a strong 2 channel market. That's good news for the hobby.

Over here, the hobby is basically dead. In fact, I've recently noticed a trend where many brands that previously shunned internet sales are starting to allow it for their products. They see the writing on the wall. The brick and mortar retailers are disappearing. Thiel is now selling their hi-end speakers on crutchfield (a huge internet electronics retailer).

 

[Anonymous]

Is it really that bad? I was thinking of moving to the US to do my masters, I going to reconsider now.

 

[JamesOK]

FrankHarveyHiFi:
Many people would rather sacrifice AV quality than their 2 channel quality.

As for 2 channel sales, because of the ranges we have on demonstration, hi-fi tends to be a consistently good seller anyway.

Yes me included. I have even considered getting rid of my Acoustic Energy setup in order to fund my hifi upgrade budget! Although most of my friends are more into AV than HiFi I have to admit.

 

[Frank Harvey]

It's a common thing.

I can understand more people being into AV, as this is more of a family/group thing, whereas hi-fi is more solitary. With a wife and kids hanging around, not many can find the time or space to enjoy hi-fi, unless they have a dedicated room.

 

[Anonymous]

FrankHarveyHiFi:
It's a common thing.

I can understand more people being into AV, as this is more of a family/group thing, whereas hi-fi is more solitary. With a wife and kids hanging around, not many can find the time or space to enjoy hi-fi, unless they have a dedicated room.
In our new flat, the suggested layout which has been ok'd is:

Livingroom - Huge Sofa and Hi-Fi
Spareroom - Home Cinema
Bedroom - TV and second hifi (to bulk out the sound)

So hopefully it'll be 70% music in our place and the TV for lazing on weekend mornings and weekday news.

Just depends on how much you can accept the music being in the background sometime rather and the usual sitting staring at the stupid box.

 

[Anonymous]

Most of the best films were never recorded in surround sound in the first place.

The trouble with home theatre set-ups is that the ones normal people buy (in Tesco) sound dreadful, and the ones audiophiles would buy are astronomically expensive.

At new RRP, my stereo (CD + DAC + amps + speakers) would have been about £15k all in. The rest of my AV gear (which plays through the stereo) comes to less than £1500. The cost of upgrading to 5 channels of the same standard as the stereo would be frightening.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Bin Clankem:Most of the best films were never recorded in surround sound in the first place.

The technology has been available since they made Fantasia. Released in 1940.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:

Bin Clankem:Most of the best films were never recorded in surround sound in the first place.

The technology has been available since they made Fantasia. Released in 1940.

But not always used - I have classics from the 50s and 60s (and even a few from the 70s) which are recorded in mono!