I love all the ages of audio. Every one of them has offered something. I'm down on the discrete era 1997-2015 for obvious reasons, over build, over pricing and only a volume control. The HEA magazines pulled off one amazing marketing run telling us to just keep buying upward, but I for one asked myself what's going to happen when the industry modernizes? If you've been to the CES the last 15 years it would be hard to miss that the new generation has reinvented listening. Not just Headsets but designing in general. We've also had hints of change by watching the development of Class-D components and modern sources. 5 or so years ago I mentioned that I was meeting with some of the younger innovative designers in audio on the Stereophile forum and was quickly trolled off the stage. It was kind of like some old folks were willing to protest "change" to the death. Well here we are 5 years later and HEA is on it's last CES leg while those innovations have become mainstream.
Threads are popping up on this and other forums suggesting HEA is dead or at least terminally ill. You have to be waring some pretty tinted rose colored glasses to miss this reality. Those who want to argue this can wait another 5 years I guess and see how many of their friends are still kicking, or buying new expensive High End gear vs the ones who have either settled into their last system or have embraced the less expensive better sounding hobby. Why do I think it will be better sounding? That's easy, lower mass and simpler designs, and very important "adjustability". Now I love vintage audio and own a lot of it. I also own some of the big boys of today and in my demo rooms have, and continue to pass through, a lot of products, old, new, big, small, expensive and inexpensive. I don't mind telling you that depending on how you setup your systems there is no money hierarchy any more. What there is are methods of listening that when you do them you find how things mate, and that's how you can determine if you wish to stay in the old school, discrete camp or become involved it the new age of audio.
So that's what this thread is about. Not changing anyone's mind just showing the differences and maybe a little of the comparing of apples and oranges.
Michael Green
