Audio for the Young - Noho Sound

I hope it woks out, we need the younger crowd to keep the high end alive.  

stereo52,016 posts08-05-2018 1:17pmI hope it woks out, we need the younger crowd to keep the high end alive.

Ain't that the truth.

Looks like a cool shop. I saw a less ambitious cool shop in Paris last month lots of turntables, some cool looking speakers, lots of cool looking retro MCM consoles and bluetooth devices. A few small form amps from folks like Rega and Micromega. Lots of young hipstery looking dudes. It was nice to see and nicer to see here in the states!

I think they’re trying to convince the young that a "stereo" is a necessary part of your existence, the way it was for kids when I was young. It was something you had to have. I’m starting to see more and more traditional stereo systems on TV - one commercial, I think for insurance, has a couple with a pair of the old JBLs with the white woofers in their apartment. The people who put this stuff together are supposedly in touch with the latest trends. To me, banking on the under-30 crowd for high end is risky business, but it is NYC and there are a lot of trust-fund babies running around.  As I said above, these guys have been selling audio in NYC for a lot of years, so I would think they would know the market.  I guess. 

That was a GEICO commercial and the speakers were JBL 4312's (I have a pair!). Also seen on a rack were a turntable, integrated amp and LPs! 

IMO, this seems to be sort of a "bait and switch" situation. The younger crowd likes music but uses it more as a distraction. Mostly with portable equipment. Leading them in with musical events won't work unless you have a plan to change their burnt in mindset. Lead a Millennial into a Highend stereo store and try your best to convince them they need big chunky, in the living room only, stereo components to feed their music habit and then watch their eyes glaze over.....We need their support over time to help this hobby survive, but I believe there isn't any answer yet.

Audiophiles have ALWAYS been a tiny minority of hobbyists relative to the general population, and audio "salons" generally do exactly zero to change that fact. Zero. Using actual live music to draw people in? Heresy I say! Once you expose a bunch of so called "young" people to music you risk that, as with the general population for decades, a small number of them actually decide they enjoy music through a nice system instead of, "Siri, play Mahler." Live music as bait...have they no shame? Audio specialty stores gave up from the start on interesting people in the music, and generally are perfectly content with holding on to that tiny piece of anachronistic elitism as it pulls them right down the drain.

But I think what these guys are trying to do is get people back to the time where having a good stereo in the house was the norm.  My parents had a Harmon Kardon receiver with EV speakers in the 60's.  All of my friends had decent hifi's in their bedrooms from the days when they sold stereo in Sam Goody record store.  I think, Wolf, what you are talking about are the high-end neurotics like us, which absolutely is a small minority.  Frankly, I think their business model of selling expensive stereo to young people has a very small chance of success, but then again, who thought that people would ever love watching movies on a 4" phone?  As I said above, these guys didn't just drop in from a cloud - they are experienced NYC audio salesmen, who believe they know the market.  Speaking of which, while I'm not in the market for anything right now, I have no desire to see this place, as they have made it pretty obvious that the over-30 crowd is pretty much personna non grata there.  That's ok.  I don't want to kill their vibe.  

Having a decent stereo rig (or any stereo rig) was the only option years ago, and if you wanted something small you might buy a little KLH radio. What I'm mainly talking about is the sad fact that high end audio generally doesn't know how to get other people interested, and certainly the shops don't support live music. I live near both a great concert venue and a couple of high end shops...the guys in the shops have no idea what's happening at the venue, and the venue operators have no interest in the audio shops.

I fully support the movement of getting the next generation into hifi, after all they're the one's driving the return to vinyl. I remember 30 yrs ago when I tagged along with my dad to the local Hifi shop in South Portland, Maine. I was 12 and in heaven with all the boxes that did different things and curvy speakers. I bought my first gear there a few years later - used Acurus & PSB. Now he thinks I'm nuts as my current system costs more than his 2 cars but hey, he literally and figuratively created this monster...

Yes bait and switch them to death! If one in a thousand gets interested then that's a good thing. We need young  audiophiles, and I think the vinyl resurgence could push a few of them our way as mcsclipp says. Love what these guys are doing, I plan to visit next time I am up there it's not far from my GFs place.

Some "youngish" people around have shown interest in Uturn Audio, a local company that makes well designed and relatively inexpensive stuff. A good sign.