[James Tanner]

http://www.dagogo.com/what-happened-to-hifi

[CanadianMaestro]

When did Bryston put out their first amp? 1965?

For me, it makes no difference whether a salesperson understands IM/THD or slew rate measurements.....it's what I hear with my music when auditioning gear, that matters in the end.

[DaveC113]

IMO, the biggest issue, and it's not mentioned in the article, is that nobody even knows what a decent HiFi system is capable of anymore. They've never experienced a decent system. How can people want what they don't know exists? How can we sell HiFi to folks who have no clue what the product is even capable of? This is the big problem with the decline of the HiFi audio store...

[CanadianMaestro]

^  Everybody's too wired up to their iDevices, shorter attention spans, and cheap quality MP3s for convenience = downfall of hi-end audio.

Even if they had the time to sit and listen to hi-end gear, few have the mean$ to acquire top-flight equipment like Bryston. A bit like luxury cars -- it's mainly the older (retired?) generation that appreciates the finest cars like Jaguars, Bentleys, and 450SL's....but I'm rambling....

[spence]

When you have a stalled (for most people) economy, everybody wants smaller and cheaper, and it wouldn't hurt if we could get people off their phones long enough to smell the roses and enjoy some relaxing listening.....

[CanadianMaestro]

^ The problem (if it is one) is many find listening to their iDevices relaxing. Heck, I do it when I travel. iPod/iPhone with Focal Sphear IEMs. MP3s.

[DaveC113]

When you have a stalled (for most people) economy, everybody wants smaller and cheaper, and it wouldn't hurt if we could get people off their phones long enough to smell the roses and enjoy some relaxing listening.....

The 2008 crash really hurt a lot of people and imo marked the end of the middle class and the prosperity our economy enjoyed through the 90's. We haven't recovered, and the result is the market for literally everything split into high and low end with a lot less in-between.

There is a new ultra-high-end audio market that now exists due to the recent establishment of a millionaire/billionaire class in many other countries due to globalization.

My feeling is that the remaining B&M audio dealers are more upscale and mostly serve folks with higher incomes. Not that stores didn't always showcase high end systems, but their bread and butter was middle-end sales. Now, I'm not so sure that's the case.

One thing that certainly is the case is the folks left in the middle class are much more careful about how they spend their money and want to make sure they are getting the best value possible, which has lead to the proliferation of internet-direct companies, I'm surprised the article didn't mention that either, as it's a major trend. It seems like dealer and direct-sale have overlapping products but not nearly as many overlapping customers. The folks with the money to go to a dealer won't spend the time to research direct-sale options, in general.

[Tympani]

This is not an issue of affordability. It's a issue of convenience, and to a large extent, complacency. I know many individuals with high 6, and 7-figure incomes who feel that an iPhone connected to a Bluetooth streaming system, plugged to a surround-sound or whole house system,  is the epitome of music reproduction. And don't see the need for anything more. Music sounds "good enough" And most are passive listeners, where playlists become more important than fidelity. And then there's the material...

You don't even need to spend "Bryston money" to get quality music reproduction. You just have to care enough to look.

[jpm]

The 2008 crash really hurt a lot of people and imo marked the end of the middle class and the prosperity our economy enjoyed through the 90's. We haven't recovered, and the result is the market for literally everything split into high and low end with a lot less in-between.

You're correct, and the only thing I'd add is that the '08 crash forced a long term (~30 year) economic policy trend to everyone's consciousness - the disconnection of productivity increases to broad based income growth. 

This research is well worth reading for an appreciation of how several decades of economic policy have affected recent generations:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/opinion/the-american-dream-quantified-at-last.html?_r=0

HiFi as I grew up with it in the '70s and '80s will never return, but there are still some things to consider for the future:

- How much worse are lossy (lousy?!) MP3s than cassettes?
- Internet reviews and sites are a great democratizer in terms of information. Maybe highly knowledgeable salespeople aren't prevalent, but information is far more accessible.
- It can be argued that the internet offers greater opportunity for startups than ever before
- Streaming services are a gift from heaven for discovering new music
- The resurgent interest in Vinyl is also kindling an interest in vintage equipment from the '70s and '80s

When I'm feeling optimistic, I like to think that if only we would address the economic choices that have gutted the middle class, a new generation would follow their hearts in search of ways to better enjoy the music they love.

[Pundamilia]

I can relate to Marc Silver's article. However, I don't feel that the number of knowledgeable dealers has decreased so much (I live in a large metropolitan area), but there certainly is a glut of mass market audio out there. What I really don't understand is that there are probably more medium to high-end manufacturers and equipment out there, but there are very few people who are interested in high-quality sound. I seem to be one of the very few among my friends and family who are critical about the reproduction quality of the music I listen to. It seems that almost everyone I know is content to buy a run-of-the-mill receiver and a pair of Bose speakers.

Given the above, I have to wonder how the large numbers of manufacturers and products manage to proliferate, given the current marketplace. As one contributor mentioned, it seems to be older, retirees who are buying the high-end equipment.

Am I off the mark here?  

[OzarkTom]

NEWS

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Read more at http://www.analogplanet.com/content/2016-analog-business-update-presented-la-and-oc-audio-society-gala#lodEGO53E4jMp9q7.99

[Phil A]

It depends on where one lives.  Where I am, there is probably one local hi-fi dealer within a 50 miles radius.  He is only open 3 days.  The store is not overly big (it is a small house that he shares with his significant other who does photography).  I may have more equipment at home in my various system than the dealer has.  They seem to want to cater to the ultra expensive high end and really don't seem to care about the average audiophile buying a particular item (besides myself several other local audiophiles have more or less said the same thing that there is very little in the store of personal interest to them).  I tried several times to get a demo of a music server to no avail (and of course left my contact info).  So for me personally the hi end dealer model is more or less essentially dead.  I generally look at places like Audio Circle and attend shows to keep up with what is out there and what is available.  Here is another recent thing about it - http://hometheaterhifi.com/editorial/editor/decline-high-end-audio-sales-new-outlook/

[JLM]

The most valuable thing I gained from having a B&M store nearby was the education/exposure they provided to me of the high-end, similar to what Marc first experienced.  Now the closest thing I have to a B&M audio store in this rural area is a combo A/V-audio store 50 miles away that last time I bothered stopping in had never heard class T amps, internet streaming, a stand alone DAC, or attended an audio show.  The 5 closer shops have all closed. 

Seems that audio manufacturing has shifted from a relatively few large factories to many more cottages.  With so many unestablished players most can't be expected to survive for the decades that many have in the past.  With change come churn.

Good points jpm.

And yes, convenience is paramount.  Few appreciate audio fidelity and why should they?  Few would-be audiophiles listen to live/unamplified music to know what "real" music really sounds like.  So MP3 via earbuds sounds perfectly good compared to PA speakers in an arena.

[Folsom]

Maybe a problem with many B&M stores selling "affordable" things is people couldn't care less about non-innovative products. Let's face it most of them were mostly selling stuff you can order online before their decline. Ya some of it was good, but in general they lost the cutting edge they once had. They've been destroyed by better offerings. The exception is in the high end pricey stuff.

People can hop online and see cool stuff any time, why go looking at boring stuff? Kickstarter funds tons of shitty audio things that have one feature you don't find somewhere else, innovation. They're crap, but they're not tired as hell. If people want old school they'll buy old school... Or they might pay a premium for something that truly looks old school. In many ways it's like a lot of companies got old and lost the effort that got them there.

I'd love to have a good local place but why would I want to go there to listen to Klipsch, McIntosh, Paradigm, Marantz, PSB, and Cambridge? I want to hear Salk, Spatial, Vinnie Rossi, Bryston, NuPrime, Odyssey, Pass Labs, Reference 3A, Nagra, Genesis, PAP, Seraphim, Thrax, Ubiq, JAF, and you get the idea.

[veloceleste]

I think a lot has to do with the way music is now listened to today by younger adults.
The proliferation of headphone systems is also evidence of this shift in listening habits and the decline of system sales.

[CanadianMaestro]

Live music costs a lot cheaper than even a mid-fi audio system -- an average season subscription to a symphony orchestra/chamber series/opera/jazz series is around $200 for decent seats. Multiply that by 3, and you still end up paying only about $600 per season. Vs. say $5K for a mid-fi system, or $15-30K for a hi-end two-channel system made up of the likes of Bryston etc. Not saying it's better than owning a SOTA system at home. But with all these observations posted above, is it any wonder hi-end is thinning out?

[JLM]

Its hard for B&M to compete with direct sales on a price basis.

Headphone based systems make a ton of sense.  Most don't have a "good" room to listen in.  Gen X and millennials are raising kids, so space and disposable income are both in short supply. 

[timind]

Time marches on and things change. Other than a few people I've met on forums like this or through buying/selling equipment, I don't know anyone who listens to music with serious intent.

It's a niche market and getting nichier everyday.

[brooklyn]

High end audio is a want not a need. If our/my generation had iPads back in the day, guess what,
thats what I/we would probably be using.. I have personally given up on a high end system, not
because I can’t afford it but for convenience and I no longer have the room. For me, a good quality
computer headphone system is now the norm. It sounds great and allows be to do things on my
computer while listening to excellent sounding music files.. In the end, it’s what you like/need..
Personally, I’m having a blast.. YMMV

Brooklyn

[davidavdavid]

HiFi as we in the echo chamber would like to call it has ceased to exist in the mainstream. Take a look around you at the average of those willing to admit to the world and public at large that they are audiophiles.

The culture in which today's Millennial live is far different from ours, far different from a generation a scant ten years ago. The living spaces are smaller and their duration may be very well be marked in months and not years. As this generation is to a degree far more nomadic than those preceding, setting down roots with a bed is one thing, setting them down with a  whole mess of components, cables and speakers is wholly a different matter.

Its not the failure of hi-fi sales personnel or hi-fi shops, but the persistent and consistent failure to see what was/is right before them. What was the average of audiophiles 10 years ago? What is the average of audiophiles today? Do not confuse the uptick in vinyl sales with some sort of renaissance. For all we know records are being bought for display purposes only (conspicuous consumption) and if played, done so on turntable which would make our collective colons cringe.

Now let's look at a positive trend. There are companies who are now making affordable entry level HiFi gear.  NuPrime and ELAC's Debut Series are but two examples. I regularly invite friends of friends over to not only hear my primary system, but my secondary system of a Tandberg receiver and set of Wharfedale Denton 2xp speakers to have them hear what is possible. And when they hear how good music can actually sound they are inclined to not only listen but contemplate an investment of no more than $1000 on a system. It may not be much, but it is a start.

What this means, is those of us who want to see the HiFi thrive and continue have to become proactive in our roles. There are fewer and fewer HiFi shops out there. so where are prospective audiophiles going to hear systems. It as this point that I bemoan the paucity of Audio Societies around the country. The ones that are  established should run regular events where members are encouraged to bring the initiated to meetings so they can experience what is indeed possible in the world of audio.

Let's take a look at the music that is used to demonstrate systems at shows and in the HiFi shops remaining. It is the music of anybody else's but THEIR generation. Today's' youth need to hear music they recognize and identify with to make the distinction between compressed/sonically deficient music and what the artists and producers really had in mind. To see mouths open and jaws drop when I play music for members of today's generation and they hear things in the music they love, that they never heard before, a bridge appears. What is missing from the music they listen to must be pointed out to them with their own ears. They have to have the epiphany for themselves.

I enjoy reading Stereophile, and have done so for decades, but if I'm going to encourage prospective audiophiles, its not going be through the magazine, but rather its blogs, in particular the posts written by one Jana Dagdagan. Her writing is not only engaging, but is current and speaks to those of her age. If you have not read her pieces on line, I not only encourage you to do so, but those decades younger than ourselves to follow her on Twitter @janadagdagan and click through the tweets to her writing.

Am I fan of a lot of new bands? No. Do I continue to explore? Yes Am I surprised to see/hear that when played on my system that some of these artists and their producers actually care about sound quality which is not readily apparent if one were to listen to compressed/diluted streams and downloads.

HiFi is still with us, it's just not feeling so hot at the moment, and we need to marshall our resources and come to its aid. its payback time, for all that HiFi has given to us over the years, it's up to us repay all those kindnesses.

Respectfully yours.