Good topic. My American take is same/similar to those who posted before me.
My initial thought is that the main problem is that only a small number of people are in to audio. If there was more people who made a *nice stereo a greater priority, components would be less expensive and easier to audition. Non-audiophiles think how marketers and advertisers want them to think, like how American consumerism thinks, and features and crap replace *nice.
You practically have to be an audiophile to own a *nice system and that's a shame. Hi-fi is unknown and intimidating and a little freakish, and audiophiles do not make any better with the i-am-better-than-you garbage.
There are others, a lot of people who like a nice sounding stereo, but have never heard of B&W or ML. They buy Bose et al. because that is they best brand they know. That comes back to marketing. Linn could have been Bose (Linn the Bose of hifi right?, but still better than Bose :).
Directly for current audiophiles is lack of local selection for audition. Without the resources to audition philes look to opinions and epinions and marketing mags. Instead of Herbie H., we get Sammy T. Its impossible to know what is good looking at mags and people you don't know. Thank god for the used market.
Referring to Ozfly's first post, I think it is lack of available selection and not a lack of objectivity that is the problem. Lack of objectivity is part of fun/challenge and is the more artistic side of the hobby.
To solve the lack of hi-fi interest is the $45,000 question. As individuals we could have less attitude. And I would like to see one company just break through the barrier. One idea is for more home hi-fi companies make a bridge to car audio. There are lots of kids in car audio. They are pretty savvy and sound quality (not just SPLs) is a high priority for a lot of them.
My initial thought is that the main problem is that only a small number of people are in to audio. If there was more people who made a *nice stereo a greater priority, components would be less expensive and easier to audition. Non-audiophiles think how marketers and advertisers want them to think, like how American consumerism thinks, and features and crap replace *nice.
You practically have to be an audiophile to own a *nice system and that's a shame. Hi-fi is unknown and intimidating and a little freakish, and audiophiles do not make any better with the i-am-better-than-you garbage.
There are others, a lot of people who like a nice sounding stereo, but have never heard of B&W or ML. They buy Bose et al. because that is they best brand they know. That comes back to marketing. Linn could have been Bose (Linn the Bose of hifi right?, but still better than Bose :).
Directly for current audiophiles is lack of local selection for audition. Without the resources to audition philes look to opinions and epinions and marketing mags. Instead of Herbie H., we get Sammy T. Its impossible to know what is good looking at mags and people you don't know. Thank god for the used market.
Referring to Ozfly's first post, I think it is lack of available selection and not a lack of objectivity that is the problem. Lack of objectivity is part of fun/challenge and is the more artistic side of the hobby.
To solve the lack of hi-fi interest is the $45,000 question. As individuals we could have less attitude. And I would like to see one company just break through the barrier. One idea is for more home hi-fi companies make a bridge to car audio. There are lots of kids in car audio. They are pretty savvy and sound quality (not just SPLs) is a high priority for a lot of them.