Question Why Youngsters are not into Hi-FI

[manicm]

I would think HiFi like many things is a subscribed idea. How one gets into it is a moment of awareness of such idea, accidentally or not, I got into it because my mate back in uni had his first "entry" Tannoy with Cambridge, I thought my pioneer sounded nothing special. My mate went to the same school with Stephan the bassist from Placebo, one day he was at his house, surprised being a rock star he was, listening to a Sony stereo system. It's like I'm a violinist because I started the study since I was kid, hence I became aware of classical music, and then made friends with other people listening to classical music. However the concept of Hifi does come after the concept of music. One gets into music first and then perhaps one point he/she starts to think that guitar solo at a mate's system sounds way more like in the room etc.
I think what makes today's youngsters uninterested in Hifi also is the music today has a "sound", which is produced such a way, blame it on Pro tool, Cubase etc, I recently discovered Aurora from Norway, fantastic singer song writer, sounds great through my system but I just kept thinking it is just too neat, reminds me of Bjork who I think came from older era with older software, but the thing is younger generation can pretty access to all these software and self record, produce and release, the amount of artists who do it has multiplied, I don't know many kids today actually listen to albums. Music fashion evolves pretty fast, if things sound good on Bluetooth speakers, there will be little fuss about listening equipment, plus let's face it, if you only listen to Rap, Metal or Pop, bluetooth is probably sufficient.
Last thing I can think of is the price of hifi is a joke today, simple.

You say much that is true, but hi-fi can be bought at relatively low cost - you can build a system or get an all in one for the price of an iPhone.

 

[Fandango Andy]

Last thing I can think of is the price of hifi is a joke today, simple.

I mentioned this earlier in this thread and posted a new thread about an affordable first system.

My conclusion is that when you adjust for inflation the cost of an entry level system is about the same as it always was. It just looks expensive because the the very cheap option of a Bluetooth speaker is considerably cheaper than a Walkman or "Ghetto Blaster" was in the 80s. To add to this, you don't even need to buy an equivalent to a Walkman because you already carry one with you all the time.

 

[RTHerringbone]

I think the only real turn-off of Hi-Fi is the fact that it's usually very impractical to move it, and being able to listen to what you want, when you want and where you want is the base expectation now.

The solution surely is to install decent gear in every room of the house..... 🤔 😆

I have noticed that my youngest daughter now regularly comes downstairs, flicks the Hi-Fi on and streams one of her many enormous playlists through it. I love to see it and even her stubborn, contrarian elder sister sometimes pauses for a split-second to think about doing the same.

 

[Fandango Andy]

The solution surely is to install decent gear in every room of the house..... 🤔 😆

That's not far from what I have done. I have a hifi in the living room, and a set of speakers off the same system in the kitchen.

Hifi in the bedroom. A pair of bookshelf speakers with a little class D amp and Bluetooth in the second bedroom. It isn't exactly hifi, but a step up from a Bluetooth speaker.

Sadly a Bluetooth speaker was the best solution for the bathroom.

 

[Amormusic]

I'm sat on a train on my way to London as I write this. I am listening to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 noise cancelling headphones. They've blocked out the rest of the noise. They also sound very good indeed. I paid £141 new for these.

At home my garden system is a JBL Charge 5 Bluetooth speaker. This goes loud as hell is waterproof and actually very decent sounding. Including the case this cost me under £150.

My point being - both of these solutions are very good sounding indeed, and enough for 99% of people.

Wireless headphones can connect to phones, tablets, and also be used to connect to smart TVs for gaming. Multi purpose for less than I've spent on one cable in my main system.

It's a compelling purchase. Tech has moved on and many people do not need a stack of boxes when a single BT speaker or pair of high quality wireless cans sound excellent.