colourcode
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Just a quick look on most HiFi retailers webpages will turn most people away. Thousand dollars network and power cables?
75K on a car is probably only 3 or 4 times entry level (assuming new)This topic came up few time on other threads.
Why is it not acceptable by our society (and wives) to spend big bucks on HiFi audio (or any other lesser practiced hobbies) when it is acceptable to spend $75k on a new car or have second car as a hobby car?
Is it because HiFi is an obscure luxury? Is it because societal standards brained washed us? Is it because the hobby has been tainted with snake oil?
How much have you spent on this HiFi hobby over your life time? How much do you spend on average an year? Will you ever reach your end game and stop upgrading? How do you deal with your wife/gf/partner when it comes to HiFi spending?
If you enjoy your BDSM gear packed in a Rolls Royce equipped with custom Genelec speakers and can afford it, on my side you'll only get a go for it and have fun!
Agreed, except that I don't think speakers apply to the same concept. Better speakers goes up in price rather fast, especially for floor standing.75K on a car is probably only 3 or 4 times entry level (assuming new)
So if we say entry level hifi is about $500 (wiim mini + fosi amp + $250 speakers), then the equivalent in hifi terms is about $2K
When you are spending 75K on audio you are well into multiple Ferrari/Rolls Royce/Bugatti Veyron equivalent territory.
I'll be the first to admit I get a little jealous when I see a pair of SOTA speakers (never electronics since SOTA amps and dacs can be bought for less than a new fridge).
But then I usually myself that >90% of people don't own any HiFi equipment at all - due to lack of funds, lack of knowledge about HiFi or just lack of interest-
and then the jealousness fades.
High-end audio stores are closing down and the industry is facing challenges. Factors contributing to the decline include the rise of more convenient audio solutions like soundbars and streaming. The industry has struggled to adapt and attract new consumers. While pockets of enthusiasm remain, the overall trend points to waning interest in high-end audio compared to previous decades. The high-end audio industry has struggled to attract new consumers from Gen X and Millennials, focusing too much on the aging Baby Boomer demographic. After Baby Boomers are dead and buried the audio market will be very different if it exists at all.
I think this is half true. Most people have no interest in "hifi" as we know it because they don't think they could discern a difference that would feel like it was worth the extra money. However, if you give people a choice between two headphones, they'll spend a little time deciding which one they like better, they won't just take one and walk away without listening. Most people prefer better sound if it doesn't cost them much/anything.Most people lack interest in Hifi. They are totally happy with a pair of ear buds on their phone and the speakers that come with the TV.
So I will try to comment on this without it getting too much on the social/political aspects.The high-end audio industry has struggled to attract new consumers from Gen X and Millennials, focusing too much on the aging Baby Boomer demographic.
Can speak to this a bit as a millennial. The housing aspect is real. More younger people live in apartments (small or otherwise) than older generations did at our age or do currently - as we all know this puts limits on what you can do with your stereo if only because of neighbors.So I will try to comment on this without it getting too much on the social/political aspects.
Gen X are in the hobby, I am the tail end of Gen X'er. The issue is the millennials and gen Z'ers. I reckon the reason why they are not into HiFi is because for the following things:
1) The trend that Apple set with MP3 on iPod then Beats headphones (which Apple brought). Once these millennials and gen Z'ers got into it, they are locked in this low fidelity way.
2) Millennials and Gen Z'ers are struggling. Low wages, raising housing cost, where they can't afford a space large enough for a pair of tower speakers (this is not a pity for them btw, I know plenty of millennials and gen z'ers who majored in STEM and are doing very well).
3) More millennials and Gen Z'ers just prefer experiences than tangible things. Going to a concert, rather than listening to a recording, traveling, etc.
I've got to jump on that one, Ron... I'll bet you do somewhere, sometime! If you have kids, ask them. They'll let you know where & when!I don't care what other people think about how I spend or do not spend my money or anything else I do. The same goes for beliefs, values and politics.
So I think the mainstream is more interested than we think, they're just not ready to wrap their heads around spending 3-5x what they normally spend to get "better directivity", whatever that means.