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the death of ces

merlin said:
When we were growing up, music was an investment. Now (we use Apple Music), it's a distraction.
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I agree about Music being an investment as I have always thought that, but is the "distraction" not just an age thing?
 
Midlandaudiox said:
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Very good interview with Andrew Jones (Elac) who outlines his latest active loudspeaker design. It starts at 49.30

Take note Mr Cooper to what he says about active speakers with active analogue filters and no DSP. It is what I have been saying for months...
 
hifinutt said:
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."
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Apart from suggesting cables sound different, He’s spot on. One only has to observe the dip in values for Elvis ephemera to realise that the fetishisation of recorded music is destined to wither away as it’s customer base dies off and the software becomes yet another utility.
 
G T Audio said:
Very good interview with Andrew Jones (Elac) who outlines his latest active loudspeaker design. It starts at 49.30

Take note Mr Cooper to what he says about active speakers with active analogue filters and no DSP. It is what I have been saying for months...
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Is the interviewer a bit challenged, or is he just trying to be funny... "I'm a good shill, aren't I?"
 
My dad, now 88, has been into hi-fi for 60 years. He’s had a load of good kit in his time. He currently has a splendid Michell turntable, a good old Yamaha amp, and a nice pair of Spendors. Old school, of course.

Three years ago for his birthday I bought him a Sonos box and a subscription to Qobuz Classical. He’s never been happier with his music. Every time I speak to him he tells me about the stuff he’s been listening to: new recordings, newly discovered composers and old favourites.

Hi-fi has changed and not changed. You can still enjoy the classic kit, but you can also enjoy it in new ways. And there’s never been a better time to be a lover of recorded classical music (or jazz for that matter).
 
The Technics SL-1000R looks interesting and then you find out the price: about $20,000 ! Plus cartridge cost...
 
Overheard two old ladies in the street yesterday. One said to the other "People today don't like tasteful things". Made me laugh. No concept whatsoever that the matter of "taste" is a moving concept. What Ken is moaning about is that the musical "tastes" of his generation aren't the tastes of the current one. As I'm sure the Quad/Leak/Garrard generation thought when he was pushing the move towards bling hifi of the 70s and 80s.
 
manicatel said:
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.
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Maybe. Perhaps Sonos and the like will leave people with enough disposable income to venture out and hear live music. The rumoured demise of high end hifi is a shame, but I've decided after years of playing with hifi that the enthusiast's mind set is oriented to the sound of the kit rather than the music. There comes a point when chasing the best sound fails to be about music. That said, I can't wait to resurrect my vintage Sonus Faber speakers and Electrocompaniet amps after a couple of years in storage.
 
Qobuz is superb. I subscribe to their CD quality streaming service. They have just acquired streaming rights to the complete ECM and Chandos catalogues. For a company that was on its knees a couple of years ago that's not bad.

I still buy CDs (and rip them) and enjoy having the discs and booklets arranged in shelves (they constitute a 'library'), but streaming has the potential to revolutionise access to a huge range of music.
 
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