”Janica is an Audio Writer at Headphonesty. Her long-term experience as a church choir member has deeply enriched her understanding and appreciation for music and its intricate details.
Building on this foundation, she further honed her expertise in the audio domain, becoming a go-to voice for insights into sound quality and musical experiences.
With a unique blend of personal passion and technical understanding, Janica delivers clear, concise, and insightful commentary on a wide range of audio topics, guiding readers through the complex world of sound.” - So here is the author’s awesome bio , a true expert in the audio field. This is some laughable , youth driven click bait reporting.
Unfortunately, this article is accurate
Each of the six outlined reasons has varying degrees of accuracy. Despite the vinyl resurgence, the economic fairytale of audiophilia is a realistic wasteland for many younger Americans. And today's under 35 generation has internalized music on demand , not to mention being faced with living scenarios that preclude even the space for an audiophile setup. And those who DO swing a Fluance/NAD/Polk or Edifier system inevitably face judgment and condescension from many who also started out with similar systems 50 years ago.
This doesn't apply to all on this forum, of course. Many are overwhelmingly kind and helpful and supportive. But what has struck me lately is how many of us "shake our heads in tragedy" at how out of control equipment has become while also bandying about $50K systems and recommendations of $2K "entry level" DACs and such.
Their last reason is perhaps the most subtle, unfortunately. In a cultural paradigm of streaming and TikTok that has way way more immediate effect than tv or radio ever did in the 20th century, the monolithic image of a singular system is about as appealing as a smoking gown and a vodka gimlet by the chesterfield.
I know many brands are targeting more affluent world markets, Dynaco being the most recent. That should be a sign to the dwindling American audiophile community.
Thoughts?
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To the Ops point , I do believe that there is less interest in the big systems we had in our youth. I have 3 adult children and they all use Spotify not Tidal or Qbuz. I gave my son a vintage Marantz receiver and a pair of Klipsch KG’s and a Bluesound Node streamer. I signed into my Tidal account for him to use. I gave my oldest daughter a Sansui receiver and a pair of Klipsch Heresy II’s and a Schiit DAC to stream from her phone. My younger daughter was gifted a full Sonos system from her husband. I gave her an entry level TT I bought online. What I see with them is it’s less of a priority to listen and an even lower priority for the large amount of space it takes up. Now add in a toddler and everything gets more restrictive. During this period the stereo is off and it’s a portable Bluetooth speaker. But you really don’t need high fidelity to listen to Casper Baby Pants singing about dancing hippos. 😆 Cheers , Mike B. |
+1 Much of the article argues that high-end audio is not culturally mainstream when that’s irrelevant - a hobby is simply using our disposable income for personal enjoyment. Also, attendance in audio shows has been increasing.
+1 after reading a couple of Headphonesty articles, they have a strong bias against perceived high component prices. So they ignore the fact that better parts and engineering usually leads to better Sonics. They also ignore trickle down engineering to more affordable products of which there are many including my speakers and electronics.
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You make some good points. My take on the dopamine factor is that there is absolutely nothing lacking in music’s capacity for inducing altered states. I’d suggest the real problem is the fact that people these days are overstimulated and thus, their natural sensitivity has been dulled by sensory overload on a daily basis. You keep giving an addict stronger and stronger doses and their tolerance increases accordingly.\
+1... but how many, forced to trade high-end systems, would still listen on transistor radio?
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