Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.
03-20-01
Wow and for the same price as a gnu beemer ? where do you sh ... Detlof
03-20-01
I shop at autogon, where else? ;~) the buell is my one con ... Sedond
03-21-01
Thanks doug, you make me feel all nostalgic. the last time i ... Detlof
03-23-01
The question should be why do we love audio? it's clear tha ... Limabean683
04-05-01
We share the "perfectionist" mindset and aren't ev ... Wehamilton
04-05-01
A splendid analysis, wehamilton. how come you know me so wel ... Detlof
04-05-01
Limabean, my hat's off to you and your shipmates. installin ... Wehamilton
04-06-01
Wehamilton, i was (self)diagnosed, but that did not help eit ... Detlof
04-07-01
Wehamilton, thanks for the miles davis dedication. his &quo ... Limabean683
04-11-01
For @ least the following reasons: 1. very few people know h ... Tciborow
04-16-01
Much of the above thread emphasizes a people are lazy-stupid ... Docwarnock
04-17-01
Although basically i would agree with you, that since the be ... Detlof
04-17-01
I don't think the emphasis is so much on people being lazy o ... Kthomas
04-17-01
Kthomas, following on yr thread, audio is not (yet) a lifest ... Gregm
04-18-01
Home theatre better matches the "zeitgeist" of the ... Wehamilton
04-18-01
Wow wehamilton, excellent! i wished, i would have been able ... Detlof
04-18-01
Wehamilton, your reference to people not wanting reality and ... Gregm
04-18-01
Wehamilton, interesting post and your analysis of our popula ... Docwarnock
04-18-01
I suspect that there is more innovation in a/v gear because ... Tubegroover
04-18-01
Isn't the basic question how the hi-end defines itself, at l ... Kthomas
04-18-01
There's no question the electronics industry is always looki ... Wehamilton
04-18-01
Uh-oh, i see a chicken versus the egg argument starting. no ... Docwarnock
04-18-01
There's no question the electronics industry is always looki ... Wehamilton
04-19-01
Docwarnock, i agree - ht as a phenomena exists because of th ... Kthomas
04-19-01
Those of us interested in high-end do say "whoa!!!! coo ... Metaphysics
04-19-01
I was going to say 1 in a 1000 but thought it might sound ov ... Kthomas
04-19-01
I have to disagree on your last statement. almost nobody th ... Metaphysics
04-19-01
Kthomas sez: "ht as a phenomena exists because of the ... Sedond
04-19-01
Meta, the reason that people don't ask where they can get on ... Docwarnock
04-19-01: Wehamilton
People used to being hyper-stimulated don't like to sit in front of a stereo and just listen to music. I've had the same experience others have described- friends come over and listen to two songs on my system and say "Wow, I've never heard music like that" as they get up and walk away! I've never had anybody pulled into the experience and want to play more music.
Sedond is right, people "want to watch" because it (HT) adds another sense (to be stimulated) to the mix. This is what I meant further up the board when I said in today's social environment, listening to music (and nothing else) seems almost quaint. We've seen it even in pro sports. The drama of the competition alone isn't enough anymore, look at the Olympic coverage. Baseball and even football has to be boosted with all sorts of other bells and whistles- fireworks, Diamond Vision, cheerleaders/dancers, prizes/contests. And while the XFL may not make it, I can assure you the "model" will be copied and perfected. The execution was the problem, not the premise.
Frankly, in this environment, I'm surprised high end has as many product choices available as it does. But the original question was why is HE relegated to cottage industry status? My answer would be that it is dominated by individuals that are passionate about their business. This small group of talented people are the antithesis of the large corporation. They are making decisions because it's the right thing to do, or to pursue a personal objective etc., cost be damned.
These companies go out of business frequently as a result too. But if they are successful, inevitably the passion of the founder can never be matched or shared as a company grows. So if it prospers, it will eventually get to the size where the inevitable buisness trade-offs start shaping the decions ("Wouldn't we make more profit if we came out with a mid-fi line and doubled our sales potential?" or "Shoudln't we aim closer to the middle of the segment?". I've personally sat in hundreds of these meetings. The bigger the company, the more generic the products become because you can't be a big niche company. The product development costs are prohibitive. So big companies must always aim for a broad market segment. Smart ones still find a way to differentiate their products, but they will never be thrive living off just HE profits.
So high end will always remain a cottage industry and banruptcy and mergers will be common; not only because of the small market, but because of the nature of the people and the type of company required to create it.
Wehamilton (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
04-20-01
There is one notable exception to the rule that audio gear i ... Neubilder
04-20-01
I agree that most music out there is pure pap with no worthw ... Neubilder
04-22-01
I think that most people are not experienced listeners.whate ... Johnny7
04-23-01
I feel that there are a lot of people who can afford excelle ... Audio_unlimited
04-23-01
Hi audio-unlimited. ah, if only what ewe are saying were tr ... Sedond
07-05-01
Because too many audiophiles listen to their equipment not t ... Nrchy
07-07-01
They do; they just can't afford it. Mdorsam
07-23-01
There is the category of a rich guys that come to audio deal ... Marakanetz
07-23-01
Clearly there must be many in this category - during a recen ... Kthomas
07-31-01
I think the ultra high end does market itself pretty well an ... Don_t
09-02-01
Because they just don't realize just how good it is!!! lack ... Zane
09-05-01
Because you don't need anything better than a ghetto blaster ... tidemah@
09-15-01
I'm a recent convert to the high end. i think my conversion ... Ponzio
09-18-01
We're guilty of projection. most of us are into gear as a m ... Whknopp0713
10-03-01
Because most people don't have the time to listen. from tho ... Pbb
01-23-02
I have a couple of friends who make absolute nuisances of th ... Bishopwill
01-23-02
My personal feeling is.....there are not to many people love ... Twinaudiovideo
01-24-02
Because the more revealing the hardware the less enjoyable t ... Joekras
01-24-02
Joekras, got to love'ya. short, to the point. the undoing ... Pbb
01-24-02
Will, you hit the nail on the head. audiophiles should do l ... Lngbruno
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