What's going on with the audio market?

54,16,0

I am like jmcgrogan2 and am taking money out of the system. I think this is a trend with many aphiles. I just realized most gear is seriously overpriced and getting worse. The shrinking market has caused builders to charge outrageous money for what is actually inside these rectangular boxes. This fact has soured my attitude towards many high end companies and changed how I approach music at home.

The good news is there are a few companies offering gear that sounds fantastic for a fraction of the cost making it possible for me and others to downsize and enjoy the music as much as ever.

For me digital audio has opened my eyes and ears. It is the future and it is very affordable. Computer based servers with Roon & Tidal are absolutely amazing sounding and simple to use finally. Add a Digital amp and room correction and smile big!

Times they are a changing and I do think these small, high end boutique builders will not make it much longer. How can they when one can buy a great sounding one box digital amp with Dac, preamp, room correction etc... for less money than a tube preamp and it actually sounds as good or better than a multi box 120 plus pound ensemble of rectangular boxes.

Mapman really got at one big driver of Aphile behavior of late. Even the remaining aging Aphile consumers are getting plain old fed up with.....

"Not many buying the hype anymore these days"

Gear is so darn full of hype and at crazy, I mean crazy, high prices.  It is out of hand and many of us are jumping off the crazy train. I blame industry manufacturers and retailers for their lack of creatively and tired ways. Yes, some are doing it right and will survive, but many "high end" companies will be gone over the next 5-10 years.

If you were to look inside the gear sold today and see the parts quality used for the prices asked, assuming you know about electronics and parts, you would begin to feel as sick as I do about the industry.  No reason for the prices charged on many high end pieces.  No reason other than only a relative few of us will ever buy this stuff. I can no longer support this dying model as I have decided to enable it no longer. 

$1 resistors and $10 capacitors in $15,000 speakers and on and on! 

Again, I know we have exceptions, but we need open our eyes as we are being charged ridiculous prices for what is actually inside the gear. Yes, including R&D etc... 

We do have some  companies selling nice sounding gear for reasonable prices like Emotiva and others. These are genuine great values that we should take notice of and there are others. 

No, many of today's high end products are seriously overpriced. Some great values like never before, but lots of exaggerated, hyper dollar stuff being pushed. Some of it sounds fine, but not worth the price. I suppose I am so turned off that this colors my view of the industry in general. 

Bad service is also rampant and really upsets me. The gear quest has stopped for me. I am on a new music quest! 

True Mapman and I guess that sums it up nicely. 

Macrojack, very well said!