The 'golden age' of hi-fi is not over - it's just beginning

You may be right, audiophile persons seem to have generally white hairs…
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Munich Audio Show

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You can’t say our hobby does not show diversity and inclusion. There must be every type of fat white bald man in that picture. Inspiring!

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I bet that bloke in the foreground with a bag over his shoulder has *really * expensive speakers and a Sonos :wink:

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As a teenager in the 70s I didn’t really like music until the 80’s. I think a lot of people mainly listened to music on the radio or on Top of the Pops (UK).

Most of my much younger friends and family listen to music on their phones which have better sound quality than radios/TVs of the 70s and 80s but they are always amazed when I sit them in front of my hi-fi.

I don’t think the problem is music. Hi-fi has gone from being what everyone had or aspired to, to a specialist hobby.

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I don’t know anyone who has an interest in hifi. My son appreciates the quality of my kit but has not payed for any music in years and just streams random tracks on his PC and mobile. We aging Naimites must accept that we are inhabiting a shrinking pool with dwindling members over time (perhaps Richard can confirm membership numbers over the last few years?). I think the younger generations will still associate with music in the future but only that which is used in films, Netflix drama’s etc.

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I think so too. My dealer says that ”midfi”, which is what could be described as something priced at a level most middle class people could afford should they choose to buy a ”stereo”, is a completely dead market.

Most people I know have one or many small bluetooth speakers and enjoy music through them.

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audio in the 80s was its hayday . only old guys spend on audio seperates . spotifiy rules today and when they update upto red book ,most of the others will die off.

The arrival of downloads and streaming put me off spending any significant money on decent hifi for the last 10+ years as the technology was moving fast and there seemed either a compromise in sound quality with downloads/streaming or a risk of kit quickly becoming obsolete.

Digital (streaming/downloads) has really come of age in recent years. Having the world’s music at your fingertips in CD/hi-res quality played through a decent system feels like an exciting time to be alive :slight_smile:

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I am constantly conflicted listening to Lisa Tarbuck because her style is precisely what I do not like (forgive me, Lisa!) but she is the only DJ who has me ordering CDs from Amazon as she plays one fabulous track after another!

“How Music is Made”, a book by David Byrne (Talking Heads) explains how the finance, writing, recording, and performance of music are connected and affect each other. Recommended. Here are some examples:

The compression rate for CDs to 16/44.1 was determined by Beethoven and Sony to enable the 9th to be played without changing discs; and the first ‘concept albums’ (Frank Sinatra’s Come Fly With Me was designed around the new 33.333rpm long playing vinyl.

Peter Gabriel performed “So” live in its originally intended track sequence, the vinyl album being ordered to ensure Tony Levin could be appreciated on the outer tracks with their superior (faster) tracking speed.

If the “Golden Age” of HiFi is the age of its pioneering and discovery then it’s over really, just as computing’s golden age was in the 1970s and motoring in the 1920s.

But if HiFi’s golden age is about how many people are listening, and the quality of the sound they are hearing, then maybe it has yet to come but will look different and will be “tech-driven” so that people will buy better and better HiFi in the same way they buy better and better laptops, not through desire but simply through constant digital price-performance improvements.

  • it will be (sadly) attached to a TV with people watching performances not just listening;

  • even more sadly, nobody will own a physical music collection, but stream everything;

  • elite musicians will remain, but alongside a huge crowd of the newly accessible, curated by the streaming AI that knows what you like;

  • above all, Internet speeds and digital tech will provide affordable and ever increasing SQ.

My conclusion is that the Golden Age of HiFi is coming, but will not be noticed because everyone will have it and not even know it!

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Interesting. I haven’t come across her music program (where is that?) but I have seen her on various comedy shows. Her personality grates with me a little - not sure why. I might have a listen.

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That sort of thing has happened quite often - also arranged on the vinyl according to the amount of bass. Sometimes the pitch of the track spiral has to change so as to accommodate the bass excursions. There is at least one example of an LP where the track starts at the centre of the disc and proceeds outwards, so as to keep the tracks in the right order but have the outer part used for particular characteristics.

That would be a disaster. I’m sure I’m not alone in having tastes and preferences that have changed over time.

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I’d love to see a link for that!

…ok, mind blown after a bit of googling, every day is a school day :smiley: I shall not link here, but more than one thread on other forums about it

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Liza Tarbuck is absolute radio gold. She has a great interaction with her listeners and plays an eclectic mix of music, and is ideal for an early Saturday evening.

Beachcomber - she’s on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday evenings, 18:00 - 20:00. When she was off a few weeks ago Shaun Keaveny stood in, which was even better. Win-win, if that continues.

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Thanks for that - I shall have a listen.

The bandsintown app AI obviously needs some work. It reckons that because I have an interest in Lana Del Rey that I should also have an interest in Ed bl***** Sheeran. Puhleeezzze!!!

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