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.

 

[matthewpianist]

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

I think the major issue with footfall at dealers is a combination of contemporary shopping habits, some online retailers with excellent service, and how daunting a hifi shop can be.

 

[busb]

I occasionally read HiFi mags from the 80s. I found the advertising aimed very specifically at husbands who refer to their wives as "the wife". These adverts often showed scantily clad women that even fairly sexist teen males would blink at from this generation.
There's unlikely to be a single cause but the industry's inability to move with the times had some baring as did a fairly monumental shift in tech delivery. There's plenty of old dribblers like me who listen on fairly decent 'phones to an iPhone on the hoof anyway.

 

[Revolutions]

to sell a hifi to young people, probably a good idea to just make the advert a mirror.

 

[RTHerringbone]

My youngest has started to make some sort of steps in the right direction.

Rather than sit in her room listening to music streaming from her phone to bluetooth headphones, she now comes downstairs and pushes Spotify to the WiiM and does so because "it sounds 1,000x better than on my headphones".

She might never get a system of her own, but she at least recognises the benefits.

 

[Mrmason62]

Sadly we live in the age of convenience over quality.
Many Young people associate their phones with hifi.
They want everything they listen to and watch on tap.
They've been conditioned to embrace renting over ownership
Is it any wonder that hifi is in decline.
Factor in the lack of independent hifi stores. The majority have closed down.
Streaming services are second rate at best for sound quality
You've also got people spending massive amounts on TV panels and then they stream and watch terrestrial.
As I said they aren't interested in quality. Such people just watch with out of the box settings.
Quality is irrelevant to them.
With such mindsets those into hifi can only continue to decline in numbers.
Let's not forget that new houses are getting smaller and smaller. Sound proofing is non existent. Etc etc.
Also let's also factor in the fact that hifi must blend in with the furniture and colour scheme.
It's laughable.
It's lean times for quality.
Those that are into hifi and vinyl would rather spend silly amounts on a new remaster that sounds worse and costs more than a first pressing.
After all, an old pressing may have a tatty sleeve. What would people think!
Quality is secondary to image.
Expect times to get even leaner and quality to get worse.
After all. There's not much demand anymore for quality

 

[matthewpianist]

Sadly we live in the age of convenience over quality.
Many Young people associate their phones with hifi.
They want everything they listen to and watch on tap.
They've been conditioned to embrace renting over ownership
Is it any wonder that hifi is in decline.
Factor in the lack of independent hifi stores. The majority have closed down.
Streaming services are second rate at best for sound quality
You've also got people spending massive amounts on TV panels and then they stream and watch terrestrial.
As I said they aren't interested in quality. Such people just watch with out of the box settings.
Quality is irrelevant to them.
With such mindsets those into hifi can only continue to decline in numbers.
Let's not forget that new houses are getting smaller and smaller. Sound proofing is non existent. Etc etc.
Also let's also factor in the fact that hifi must blend in with the furniture and colour scheme.
It's laughable.
It's lean times for quality.
Those that are into hifi and vinyl would rather spend silly amounts on a new remaster that sounds worse and costs more than a first pressing.
After all, an old pressing may have a tatty sleeve. What would people think!
Quality is secondary to image.
Expect times to get even leaner and quality to get worse.
After all. There's not much demand anymore for quality

Streaming can sound just as good as CD, and streamed video content is as good as live broadcast ever was. Ownership is a myth - we simply own an object, not the music, and all it would take to lose it is a house fire, flood, homelessness or other disaster. Some physical content is virtually impossible to replace unless paying inflated prices for 'new old stock' or second hand copies of deleted titles.

Quality is relevant to many younger people, it's simply easier and less costly to achieve than it once was. There has never been a situation in which the majority have pursued that extra percentage of quality from their electronics, it has always been a minority interest.

First pressings are also often priced way above what is reasonable, and there's the lottery of condition. It works for some people, but it isn't the only route to high quality, though I agree regarding the silly prices being asked for new pressings.

There is nothing wrong with being mindful of the aesthetics of the equipment. Homes have to suit everyone who lives in them, and there are more important daily needs than hi-fi. The smaller spaces available are not down to the younger generation, it's simply the way things are. Dedicated listening spaces and setting up the hi-fi at cost to everything else are simply unrealistic for many.

 

[Mrmason62]

Tidal etc is most certainly inferior to streamed cd and vinyl rips.
4k bluray and hdr is vastly superior to any subscription service
Especially the hdr quality.

 

[GroeneLeeuw]

The youngsters are right to ignore "hi fi" for the most part.
The industry is full of BS artists who add nothing of value to consumers.
People like music, and to enjoy your music one hardly needs anything the Hi-Fi industry offers.

 

[Friesiansam]

People like music, and to enjoy your music one hardly needs anything the Hi-Fi industry offers.

For many who are in to, especially very expensive HiFi, although by no means all such people, they don't really listen to the music. Instead they spend all their time analysing what they hear, listening for every detail and, every imperfection that can be fixed by spending even more money.

 

[matthewpianist]

Tidal etc is most certainly inferior to streamed cd and vinyl rips.

I disagree.

 

[GroeneLeeuw]

Tidal etc is most certainly inferior to streamed cd and vinyl rips.
4k bluray and hdr is vastly superior to any subscription service
Especially the hdr quality.

I agree.
I´m a Tidal user of many years (5/6 years) and it adds to my music listening enjoyment (listen to music of artists I like but do not own) and helps me a lot with seeking new music but does not replace for the most part if I´m in the mood to listen to CDs or downloads I own. Even the HiRes Tidal offers is not of better quality. Same for Netflix and BR discs. Streaming services are not there yet, maybe one day.

 

[Andrew17321]

Youngsters are not into HiFi because they are generally not interested in music quality (as distinct from rhythms and pop stars). I have regularly attended classical concerts, both orchestral and chamber, for 60 years and over that time the average age of members of the audience has been about 60. Nothing has changed over time. It is not a new phenomenon.

 

[AJM1981]

- The definition of what HiFi really was.. a line away from low-fi (grammophone players, AM radio etc). Higher quality music (higher bandwith, FM etc) . In that definition walking into a store for a cheap system gives you an arguable 'more decent and more portable' system compared to the cheap systems offered in stores of the past of which some were really cheap junk that wore out fast.

- HiFi "as defined by audiophiles" is a bit of a 'wine and cheese' comfort hobby comparible to sitting in front of a fireplace surrounded by art. For some larger systems larger living rooms are a plus and the chance of finding a larger living room these days with every m2 and penny being squeezed in, is not a thing (see the last point).

- It is not an investment at all, unless someone gambles on something vintage and solid priced (like in art) is done right it will maybe stay break-even or increase slightly. But that category of gear is pricey by default. ( The retailprice of my current amp has just been raised from 650 or 700 euro's to over a 1000. So, that went the right way for now "if" I were a trader, but it is not an investment and will never be.)

- People prefer to buy less "junk". Now, I know that hi-fi equipment is not junk, but through the glasses of a someone only buying the minimal needs to listen to some music, it kind of is.

- Wires and multiple components everywhere is not as attractive as a cleaner place / less clutter is preferred.

- the global economical conditions of citizens in the current generation being expected to be worse than the counterparts growing up in earlier decades. It kind of translates in the choice for children. Political changes are not presenting any good news either. If I would grow up in these times I would not like to carry stuff around, in order to seize opportunities elsewhere and I would think thrice to settle down somewhere for good. Hifi does not really provide that much necessary versatility in life (being able to move freely between places and even countries) compared to a bluetooth speaker.

I seriously think that when young people would see a sustainable future right now in which they could settle down and live a comfortable life with decent space of living, something like Hi-Fi could become kind of attractive again.