Where is great audio going? - Headphones and Mid-Cost


I've been thinking about this for a while. If CES is any indicator, the high end audio market is shrinking.
However, music consumption is not. Where is the disparity?

In my humble opinion, it is going to headphones and mid-cost gear.

Before I go too much deeper, let me say that I feel there is a big difference between "high end" and "very expensive."  Not everyone agrees with me. If a cable costs $30K it MUST Be high end right? That's not me.

The modern audiophile is much more likely to be into headphones. Discussions about headphones, and DAC/headphone amps have incredible high participation. I'd venture to say that there are a lot more headphone audiophiles today than traditional 2 channel.

This is for a couple of reasons. Cost is a factor, but also space. You don't need much more to have a great headphone setup than your desk. To get a great stereo setup you need the space, the acoustics, and considerate neighbors. The average apartment dweller (like me, sadly) just does not have the resources to build a home, with a separate listening room. Also, we spend so much time in front of our PC's, that if we are going to enjoy music, it makes sense we optimize for it rather than a listening room.

My point I think is that we are going to have to stop looking to $50k amps to drive the high end. We have to disconnect ourselves from the idea that price = value and start thinking about our community as being able to encompass more music lovers in the way they live today.

Best,

E
erik_squires
I Guess I am fortunate enough to have a music room and enough disposable income to indulge my wants to a modest point so I have my speaker system and constantly updating it.
However sometimes the mood for cans does take me so all my systems have to have headphone capability as well.
But could I live with a headphone system only?
Absolutely not!
Even with all the pains and hassle of reproduction of music through speakers , listening through cans just does not move me in the same sense.
Just my opinion....
But could I live with a headphone system only?
Absolutely not!


I don't think we should either!

What I am saying is that headphone sales and headphone related gear is volumetric ally much higher than stereo speakers and their gear.

I think you're right Eric.Young people seem to be into headphones and small desktop systems.My two grown children are and their friends.But they also really enjoy listening to my system.I have two decent systems to pass along to them someday.So hopefully they will get the grandkids interested and a couple of friends and so on and high end 2channel will never become extinct.
Yeah, these days the system in their car is the best sound most people ever heard. Everything is downsized and portable now; convenience over quality. Also, I don't think very many people actually sit and listen to music anymore; it's more of a background to whatever else they're doing. Back in the 60's and 70's it was pretty much the opposite; friends would get together and actually listen to music and appreciate it. It's a shame. Also, the high end in audio these days seems to be geared to the 1%ers like the Watson speakers that cost six figures; the only thing that tells me is that Watson only has to sell two or three pairs of their speakers. I will not be one of their customers.
I don’t think downsizing is necessarily a compromise in sound quality. Quite the contrary. There are many obvious and maybe not so obvious advantages going to a small system, especially a small portable battery powered system as I have. Going to a battery power CD or cassette system has the following advantages for sound quality alone, not even counting cost and real estate.

If thy eye offend thee cut it out. 

1. No speakers required and their distortion.
2. No speaker cables and their high distortion.
3. No house AC and it’s noise and distortion.
4. No power cords and their high noise and distortion.
5. No interconnects and their noise and distortion.
6. No room acoustics anomalies.
7. No fuses and their noise and distortion.