It is likely that the general public has never heard any sound system better than the one in their car. Additionally, not many people other that us, actually sit and listen to music these days. Back in the 30's and 40's when radio was pretty much the only entertainment or diversion from life besides the Bible, those radios were not only functional but were works of art in themselves. Polished wood cabinets, etc. Then in the late 50's when stereo was "invented" those units replaced/upstaged the radios of the prior two decades. The same thing has happened with all this digital portable doodad stuff in replacing quality stereo music reproduction. It's anybody's guess what comes next; maybe implanted devices in your neck that will feed an audio or more likely an "instructional" signal directly to your auditory nerves. I can hardly wait.
Do people know what they are missing?
I read the following on barrons.com just moments ago and was shocked to think what folks are missing who have never had “industrial strength audio equipment”.
BARRON’S
Oct. 4, 2019 8:58 pm ET
The 50th anniversary remix edition of the Beatles’ Abbey Road was just released. Even though I already own a pristine British pressing of the original vinyl LP and the 2009 remastered CD, I will buy a copy of the new version to examine further what is the apotheosis of the group’s work. And it will be through big speakers powered by a big amplifier, not through little white thingies dangling out of my ears.
All of which sounds anachronistic. As my former Barron’s colleague Joe Queenan writes, “Industrial-strength audio equipment vanished from the living room long ago.” Now it’s largely relegated to the so-called man cave, supplanted by spouse-friendly tiny smart speakers that emit sounds, but not music that engulfs you, as audio systems did when Abbey Road was released a half-century ago.
END
An mp3 player or smart phone may be convenient to listen to the music that helps you get through tedious jobs like raking leaves outside or cleaning the rain gutters that are beyond the range of an industrial strength sound system, but it will never replace the big sound of a serious system in my house.
Am I that out of touch with the present day that all folks want is a 192kb encoded mp3 played through tiny ear buds?
Every time I let someone listen to my system, they seem amazed.
I just don’t understand these kids today!
Your thoughts?
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- 21 posts total
- 21 posts total