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the death of ces

hifinutt

hifinutt

hifinutt
you may know ces is on in vegas but i think audio is a bit subdued perhapps . here is ken kesslers thoughts

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/inde...tage-uk/1127-the-death-of-ces-a-mercy-killing

"
However fervently one tries to eliminate nostalgia, this year’s fin de siècle vibe is inescapable. Achingly, I recall those no longer with us, people who both mentored me and grew to be much adored, much appreciated friends -- gents such as Apogee’s Jason Bloom, Sonus Faber’s Franco Serblin, and the legendary Yasuo Nakanishi, now joined by the heartbreaking list of the recently departed. Never again will we see the ever-charming, wisdom-dispensing Dick Shahinian, the wry visionary who was Arnie Nudell, nor Ayre’s witty Charlie Hansen -- who told me more spicy backstage stuff about the ill-fated Pono project than I will ever be allowed to publish.

Perhaps their departures will serve future commentators as some form of symbolism about the demise of CES, for all of them were hi-fi show stalwarts back in the day, and the shows are the poorer for their absence. Neither is the irony lost on us that, just as CES chooses, conclusively, to flush high-end audio down the toilet (and make no mistake that high-end audio was one of the very industries which helped to establish CES all those decades ago), decent hi-fi systems seem to be enjoying a comeback -- not least because of the Vinyl Revival."
 
Other areas of consumer electronics are taking over. We are at the threshold of another technology revolution - at least in the first world. The whole home automation, robotics, self driving, silicon 'intelligence' theme is preparing to arrive - much like the 20th century was transport and computers. I have read that despite this technology age the new millenials are more interested in 'experiences' and travel than worldly goods. These millennials are likely to be happy being piloted by automated transport systems - so they can keep up their Instagram pages on the way to the airport for the next experience. They do not see the 'thrill' of, say, driving - cities are where everyone lives and driving yourself makes no sense.
 
JensenHealey said:
Other areas of consumer electronics are taking over. We are at the threshold of another technology revolution - at least in the first world. The whole home automation, robotics, self driving, silicon 'intelligence' theme is preparing to arrive - much like the 20th century was transport and computers. I have read that despite this technology age the new millenials are more interested in 'experiences' and travel than worldly goods. These millennials are likely to be happy being piloted by automated transport systems - so they can keep up their Instagram pages on the way to the airport for the next experience. They do not see the 'thrill' of, say, driving - cities are where everyone lives and driving yourself makes no sense.
Click to expand...

i would agree. Most millennial I know site 'meeting people' and 'travel' as their most important 'hobbies' and 'interests'. Music is up there, but usually follows video interests, and expensive high end 2 channel HiFi systems are seen as something that interested their grandfathers...surprisingly though, quite a few invest in seriously expensive headphones and head amps - which is about as far as it goes for good HiFi for most.

Cheers
 
We keep trying to talk down this hobby and lament its demise, but as far as I can tell, there is more choice, more products and certainly more turntables on the market today than there was in the 1980’s!!
 
Chaps

The problem is not so much as talking down the hobby as a lack of worthwhile support.

Most of us buy second hand because prices are cheap compared to new. No industry can survive when that attitude prevails.

There is now a flourishing cottage industry of repairers who can keep anything going and there is no incentive to buy new because the difference in sound is all but negligible.

The thing that started the demise of Hifi was the unprofessionalism of the high street retailers who, in the main, couldn't sell a glass of water to someone dying of thirst in the desert. Their well known condescending attitude kept most of us away from the shops and we started to buy well maintained stuff at low prices via the forums and ebay.

Add to that the fact we are building smaller houses and mini equipment is cheap and cheerful, the end result is a falling demand for new high end stuff.

Regards

Mick
 
That and a failed national economy where so many people can’t afford to leave the family home until far later in life than previous generations has pushed a lot of the market to headphones (which are the sector of high end audio that is doing very well). Even so the good innvative or niche companies are doing well, it tends to be the more stagnant or directionless companies that are floundering a bit. As soon as any company gets into the rut of trying to sell ever more expensive kit to their existing customer base rather than attract new young punters with real innovation it is game-over.
 
Like Kessler Fremer says the emphasis is now on Munich for the high end.

It’s always worth looking at CES for the wacky stuff. My favourites so far are a drivable suitcase that you sit on to get to the terminal, and a device for getting wine out of a bottle without removing the cork. I’m sure there are far odder things there.
 
Those making a living out of high end audio will IMHO be the last generation to do so.

It's really got no future. I love my kit but the following generation have no idea why. They will drop a grand on a phone though.
 
Fashion, trend, living standard etc aren't constants so just because the current situation is either people living at home until their mid-30s or later, or living in tiny empty/sparsely furnished reflective reverb chambers that are entirely unsuitable for quality audio doesn’t mean things will stay that way. By saying that the simple fact classic audio prices are still on the ascendancy implies there is still some market for sensible well designed and properly proportioned audio kit.

To be honest I think the real game-changer other than the economic one driving solitary headphone listening is that real knowledge and experience via the internet has replaced sales guff and democratised the marketplace to a simply huge extent. The balance of power/knowledge has shifted from the producers and marketers to the enthusiasts/end-users and that really is a game-changer. The days of hanging on the word of reviewers and dealers pushing the latest flavour of the month is thankfully long gone and it is now widely recognised that much of the very best audio was made many decades ago and was designed for a very, very long service life. pfm is obviously a proud player in this along with AudioKarma, Audio Asylum, AoS and countless other sites and whilst I’m sorry about any impact it has had to the new audio marketplace (dealers, manufacturers etc) I will never apologise for providing a platform for promoting sustainable, green and financially sensible ways of enjoying the very best sound in the home and the audiophile hobby in general.
 
Does your video show any people aged less than fifty years old John?
 
quality audio has been sinking fast since the gold years of the late 70s/80s , whats new . on the plus side watch the sales of chords new dac ,sufficient inputs novel easy upgrade for psu, away with the flawed battery idea acam new cd/sacd/dac/streamer looks a very good spec unit for 700
 
Shocking John. I have images of lime green man kinis and moustaches...
 
Blessings & curses really.......
Stuff such as Sonos can supply a “good enough for most people” solution. Which is a blessing, as more people can get interested in music & who knows, may go upwards & onwards from there.
And a curse, as it may prove enough for many people & they won’t set foot in specialist high end audio dealers who don’t sell Sonos.
 
We've been talking a lot about this at the bar over the past few weeks.

When we were growing up, music was an investment. Now (we use Apple Music), it's a distraction.
 
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