Question Why Youngsters are not into Hi-FI

[DCarmi]

Point being these days the midi systems are sonos systems or similar and maybe unless a sale man says "well there's this and this will sound better and last longer", kids are basically non the wiser of what products exist.

I don't think it was much different in days gone by. People bought radiograms, music centres etc, way back when. My Grandfather was a music and hifi buff and frequently swapped components and cartridges and built his own speakers, way back in the 50s and 60s, but I don't really remember anyone else having a similar sort of setup. (Granddad was into electronics and was a Radio Ham).

Apart from him I think I was the first person in the family to have separates.

 

[Friesiansam]

Surely HiFi has always been a minority sport, just even more so now because of the greater range of options available, for listening to music.

 

[Ferdy Bossy]

Music can be compared to mathematics, you don't start with calcuus. You start with the sum, then the difference, etc. Your brain really has to learn a lot to appreciate jazz or classical music. The sounds can often sound out of tune to an untrained ear. On the keyboard this is easy to explain, when the 2 white keys next to each other are pressed at the same time, it sounds out of tune?! no it is not out of tune on a well-tuned piano. It occurs in many chords that the keys In many chords, the keys next to each other are pressed simultaneously. Even (often with Jazz) black key that is right next to the white one is not only played but also sung. When you start playing the piano, you find that even though you are playing the correct notes of the chord, it still doesn't sound quite right. Because the order of the notes (called inversions) also determines the sound. Today's music is becoming more and more simple. It takes quite a setup to appreciate classical music. Active speakers are the best solution, don't look at the size, but mainly listen. Once you take the time and effort to listen to other music, you'll eventually wonder why I didn't do this sooner.

 

[twinkletoes]

I don't think it was much different in days gone by. People bought radiograms, music centres etc, way back when. My Grandfather was a music and hifi buff and frequently swapped components and cartridges and built his own speakers, way back in the 50s and 60s, but I don't really remember anyone else having a similar sort of setup. (Granddad was into electronics and was a Radio Ham).

Apart from him I think I was the first person in the family to have separates.

I can only really speak from the 90s onwards! but your right, they would have been the midi systems of there day.

I think you see it all over the entrainment industry, convenience always wins out.
Today its phones and streaming speakers, though certainly not cheap but very convenient , in my day midi all in ones as @Friesiansam say "its always been minority sport"

Though now the nostalgia effect is full swing I dont think it will be to long before you see them buying up second hand pieces, maybe they are already. Cassettes are coming back with nothing to play them on, some of those kids must be finding and buying Cassette decks along with amps and speaker.

 

[manicm]

Most commenters here are focusing on fads, rather cynically I may add. As I repeat, just exposing my kid to the wonders of sound on a simple Klipsch soundbar with subwoofer opened his ears to the potential of sheer musical joy. I attached a WiiM Mini to it. He was not exposed very often while I was married because my ex-wife was not interested.

And this must be a factor when the highest physical sales of Taylor and Coldplay's latest albums were from CD - a significant number must be younger listeners.

Even the best headphone system be it on phone or whatever does not present the same experience of a full speaker system. Not setting one against the other, but in a speaker system your head and body is free to move, you don't have constraints, and this big sound is coming at you. That's the real impact of a speaker system.

A good stereo speaker system can be a revelation to young people. Once you experience it you never want to let it go. It doesn't have to be a traditional hifi, it can be two large Sonos speakers or the like.

So again, I don't really buy the argument that youngsters are necessarily not interested - it's more like they haven't been exposed to what a sound system can do.

 

[Al ears]

Most commenters here are focusing on fads, rather cynically I may add. As I repeat, just exposing my kid to the wonders of sound on a simple Klipsch soundbar with subwoofer opened his ears to the potential of sheer musical joy. I attached a WiiM Mini to it. He was not exposed very often while I was married because my ex-wife was not interested.

And this must be a factor when the highest physical sales of Taylor and Coldplay's latest albums were from CD - a significant number must be younger listeners.

Even the best headphone system be it on phone or whatever does not present the same experience of a full speaker system. Not setting one against the other, but in a speaker system your head and body is free to move, you don't have constraints, and this big sound is coming at you. That's the real impact of a speaker system.

A good stereo speaker system can be a revelation to young people. Once you experience it you never want to let it go. It doesn't have to be a traditional hifi, it can be two large Sonos speakers or the like.

So again, I don't really buy the argument that youngsters are necessarily not interested - it's more like they haven't been exposed to what a sound system can do.

Perhaps they are not interested purely because of cost and, whilst still at home with parents, a TV , game station and mobile phone take priority.
I am sure many of them are aware of good stereo systems but cost and practicality take precidence .
Most, in this day and age, don't progress onto a decent hifi system until they habr their own homes.

 

[manicm]

Perhaps they are not interested purely because of cost and, whilst still at home with parents, a TV , game station and mobile phone take priority.
I am sure many of them are aware of good stereo systems but cost and practicality take precidence .
Most, in this day and age, don't progress onto a decent hifi system until they habr their own homes.

Not sure I agree with this, from experience with my kid. He's been only using the TV, and an iPad since 4 years old. He found his way using Spotify. But he has been exposed to music in the car when with me. He's developed a taste for music, not just mine, but discovered his own too.

He was delighted when I reconnected the soundbar at home.

I'm not talking about affordability, just an interest. And he is interested, all on his own.

And if young people are buying vinyl then they will be investigating hifi.

I repeat if Swifties are buying CDs, then there would also be young ones.

My point is that if young people are into music, then if exposed they will be interested in hifi too. If one enjoys music it's a logical progression.

 

[Al ears]

Not sure I agree with this, from experience with my kid. He's been only using the TV, and an iPad since 4 years old. He found his way using Spotify. But he has been exposed to music in the car when with me. He's developed a taste for music, not just mine, but discovered his own too.

He was delighted when I reconnected the soundbar at home.

I'm not talking about affordability, just an interest. And he is interested, all on his own.

And if young people are buying vinyl then they will be investigating hifi.

I repeat if Swifties are buying CDs, then there would also be young ones.

My point is that if young people are into music, then if exposed they will be interested in hifi too. If one enjoys music it's a logical progression.

I guess they are all different and we cannot generalise.
The footfall in hifi dealers says everything though.