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Is HiFi getting better ? Or stagnating?

Smaller than when though? I've lived in a few Victorian / Edwardian terraced houses with really small living rooms, and can't think that I've been in many/any modern houses that have been smaller. Mind you some of the new houses seem to have internal walls made of matchsticks and cardboard, and that can't help things. Plus they can have odd partially open plan arrangements that may make positioning a traditional hifi system more challenging.
A good point. My experience may not be typical but my current 6.7m x 3.4 m room is smaller than previous rooms I have had. I have been perusing floor plans for a potential house move and I have been disappointed so far to rarely find anything even that big. The impression I have is that "more smaller rooms" frequently trumps "fewer bigger rooms", especially with modern builds.
 
For that... I reckon we need a paradigm shift in audio. We need some sort of direct interface with the sound receptors n the brain.. even bypassing the ears.which in most folks my age are ****ed anyway..

Just a bit of thinking aloud...:)

Oh how many of us would be grateful to bypass aging ears!
 
The architecture and house conversion programs on TV annoy me, they have an obsession with warehouse height ceilings. In a cold climate this is insane with the heat rising and no speaker is designed for effectively no ceiling
 
A good point. My experience may not be typical but my current 6.7m x 3.4 m room is smaller than previous rooms I have had. I have been perusing floor plans for a potential house move and I have been disappointed so far to rarely find anything even that big. The impression I have is that "more smaller rooms" frequently trumps "fewer bigger rooms", especially with modern builds.

I like to watch Grand Designs. Seems the current ideal is 'open plan', kitchen and everything else in one big room. They even put the bathtub in the bedroom (not HiFi related, but why on earth would you want to do that?).

The biggest problem must be the minimalistic trend, I shudder at just the thought of the acoustics there :(
 
I like to watch Grand Designs. Seems the current ideal is 'open plan', kitchen and everything else in one big room. They even put the bathtub in the bedroom (not HiFi related, but why on earth would you want to do that?).

The biggest problem must be the minimalistic trend, I shudder at just the thought of the acoustics there :(
Bathtub in the bedroom makes perfect sense to me.
It’s generally where I am at my dirtiest.
 
The current trend is for more open plan living, this dates back to the 70’s when people started knocking through to create combined dining & living rooms. Now we have open plan family rooms with kitchen, lounge & dining.

I live in a 1940s house we have separate dining & living rooms with an extended kitchen diner on the back. Previous dining room is now where the Hifi lives. Not a big house as such but I do like having separate areas.
 
I have been very, very impressed by later digital power amps and latest DACs (.... before you pigeon-hole me, I also loved my valves and horns back in the day). To think that a few years ago I fell into the "all competently-designed power amps and DACs" sound the same camp. The difference now is that I just didn't have sufficiently high resolution speakers that could reveal the differences!
 
I have been very, very impressed by later digital power amps and latest DACs (.... before you pigeon-hole me, I also loved my valves and horns back in the day). To think that a few years ago I fell into the "all competently-designed power amps and DACs" sound the same camp. The difference now is that I just didn't have sufficiently high resolution speakers that could reveal the differences!
Sounds like those speakers could cost you a fortune.
 
I like to watch Grand Designs. Seems the current ideal is 'open plan', kitchen and everything else in one big room. They even put the bathtub in the bedroom (not HiFi related, but why on earth would you want to do that?).

The biggest problem must be the minimalistic trend, I shudder at just the thought of the acoustics there :(

We watch the UK, AUS and NZ versions of Grand Designs on YouTube. The architecture and construction challenges are interesting, but most of the shows follow a similar script. Couple with grand vision budgets half of what they need. Projects either fail or somehow, with family help or increased mortgages, finishes. The result is too often an outrageously large monument to excess. There are exceptions of course, but in most of the shows, even the good outcomes leave the owners house poor (i.e., no money for anything else).

TBH, the show has done a good job putting me off new, custom builds. Too many things have to go right for a satisfactory outcome, starting with finding an honest builder. Do they even exist anymore? o_O
 
I noticed on grand designs this week that they visited a fancy pad with a music room with a massive pair of Wilson beneath cardinals in there. Acoustics looked shocking, proper minimalist deco, all reflective surfaces.
 
A young couple recently bought a house just across the road from us. An elderly couple were the previous owners, and judging from the pictures on Rightmove, they hadn't done much to the house since the 1970s (no central heating, for example).

There have been builders working on the house since March, more or less non-stop, and they've extended the house at the back, with the now-obligatory bi-fold doors replacing the French windows.

I don't know if it's a Grand Design as such, but the building works must be costing six figures, given the amount being done, and the house wasn't even that cheap given its condition.
 
I used to think that the upgrade path was obligatory, that I would start with entry level, then change equipment to something more expensive, one at a time. I started with MF but quickly moved onto Naim, starting with a 92/90, then 92/180 followed quickly by a NAC 82. I had some decent Spendors in the mix. All it gave me was an itchy feeling that things weren’t quite right, I think a neuroses. When things got tight for us, I took the decision to sell the Naim etc and get a basic system. All was second hand. I found it just as enjoyable as my previous set up and this re-tracked my whole psychology. The doubt and itchiness went and I realised that older, second hand gear was an exciting and satisfying area to dig. No more neuroses. I think it all depends where you’re head is. I know that expensive equipment often looks nicer, has better build and more modern technology but my headset is, ‘ How can I improve my enjoyment without stepping into potential neuroses?’
I have a nice amp that measures well as a standalone amp analogue, inexpensive but quality ancillaries, such as the Thorens, Creek and Rotel Phono stage. Also superb vfm speakers bolstered with an REL. All connected with Van Damme and Amazon. The whole set up costs less than the Naim but gives me no questions. I’m happy to play in this area of hifi.
 
Sounds like those speakers could cost you a fortune.
My current speakers are what would have been at the bottom of the MBL range, but the resultant brand (MC Audio) was unknown in UK, so I got good prices for both my sets when the distributer was destocking. Moved on from being a Shahinian fan (although they are still brilliant, if polarising, speakers).
 


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