2. misc-audio
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Moderately priced audio

So I have been a audiophile for 40 years and in that time I have seen and owned a huge amount of equipment. Lately I have been reading Sterephile magazine and attended the last 2 years of Axpona. My question is what about the people that love the craft and get tremendous joy out of their audio systems that are in the $2-5K price range. Are they to be ignored? I know this hobby holds a lot of enthusiasm by people that have great sounding systems of new and vintage gear that they are proud of and enjoy listening to. While I appreciate the sound and the technology of the systems that cost more than a house I think there is a slice of enthusiast that are silent. Back in the 70s I worked at a stereo store that your average person came in and spent $600-$1000 and got a good sounding system. And we sold a lot of them. Seems a lot less interest today. Could it be the price of what you see in magazines and shows? I am curious to see if you people are out there that love the music and get great joy out of listening to your moderately priced audio equipment. Feel free to share what you have. I know you are out there. 
schmitty1

Showing 1 response by williewonka

williewonka
3,063 posts
 
Seems a lot less interest today
I think that due to the better technology now available, people are "generally’ opting for the convenience of Bluetooth/wireless devices and the smaller, more streamlined looks, which do sound very good e.g. Bluesound/Sonos/Soundbar products.

Gone are the days of BIG speakers in order to get "good sound"

Many people also do not have the time to sit down and appreciate "great sound" because of their busy lifestyles.

Also, simply commanding a device to play a certain genre of music and getting "instant service" puts us in the "Back to the Future" scenario.

But I still like the opening scene in I Robot, where Will Smith uses a remote to activate his "antiquated" CD transport.

I think there will always be a market for high end gear, because current technology of the day will still have audible limitations - but it is pretty darn good now and getting better and smaller.

High end systems will be for those that still want to pursue truly great sound.

Regards - Steve





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