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Has hifi REALLY improved over the last 20 yrs

I think the main improvement is convenient accessibility to high-quality media. Downstream from the source or source component, there hasn't been much sonic improvements. Different amplifier topologies might offer more power, supposedly cleaner fidelity, but my ears still prefer good old class A or A/B. Loudspeakers have become less efficient and harder to drive so they can take advantage of Hoffman's Iron Law and more powerful amplifiers. But a good old loudspeaker is still a good loudspeaker.
 
Dayvan cowboy said:
Here’s my question , I know we are all boys who like their toys and shiny new boxes to play with but do you think sound quality has really improved over the last 20 years …
Let’s take everybody’s marmite make , Naim .
Are we really supposed to believe that just because a new capacitor here and a cable upgrade there that the sound has actually improved on the statement set of yonder , yes I appreciate things sound “ different “ from one piece of kit to the next , but surely sound can’t keep improving to our limited human ears can it ?
Convince me
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For me, the answer is unquestionably "Yes!" Forget about incremental upgrades. The most significant change in the last 20 years is the accessibility that's dramatically improved with current technology along with improved sound quality. Almost all of my music is now available in a hard-disk system that has been optimized for audio playback quality. Sounds much better than playing an individual CD on a conventional player and the entire collection is immediately available. Its almost effortless to listen to high quality music for hours and hours on end. 20 years ago there were constant interruptions to change the program and the sound quality wasn't even as good due to jitter and other issues that have been addressed in modern systems.
At least, that's how I see it.
 
I run a deck from the 1980s. Speakers from the same decade. A British amplifier from the 1970s. Two Japanese amplifiers from the 1970s. A DAC from 1990, and streamers from this century. I have heard a lot of vintage gear and a lot of modern gear and in absolute sound quality that I can hear, I don't think that speakers, nor amplifiers, have moved on. My DAC is hugely over-engineered in its power supply and output stages. This seems to overcome any advances in DAC chip technology and I have found high-res recordings so variable, so dependent on the original mastering, that it is really not an objective yardstick to measure with. Streaming is a different thing because it was not available in this era.

System:
Sony TTS8000 turntable
Technics SH-X1000 DAC
JVC JA-S71 amplifier
The Lentek amplifier
Denon PMA-850 amplifier
Cambridge 851n streamer/pre/dac
Wiim Pro streamer
Logitech SBT streamers
Yamaha NS1000 speakers

Even my arms and cartridges are decades old: Audio Technica 1010; Denon DA-401; ADC ZLM; Audio Technica Art-1
 
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Avonessence said:
I find using an EU or US plug eliminates the fuse issue at the plug top.
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Same with AU / NZ plugs. Alas, I think only UK residents get to benefit from spending squidzillions on fuses inside their 3-pin plugs. ;)

+ 100 for convenient accessibility to high-quality media. That has been my biggest game changer in music enjoyment.
 
The reason Hegel are ‘fan favourites’ is because their marketing department seem happy to lend models to literally anybody who is prepared to post on YouTube. Unfortunately, the majority of those people have very little experience, are half deaf or are more interested in YouTube views than audio. So do I think Hegel amps are junk? No, I think they are okay; but they certainly aren’t the second coming of amplifier sound quality as some would have you believe and ultimately are a bit meh.
 
I have a friend who has just spent £700 on a fuse. If he can't afford it nobody can, and if it keeps him happy etc.. But I can't hear, nor convince myself that I hear such differences.
Equally, I'm unconvinced that figures like £15k can be justified for a DAC. Basic DAC chips can be had for pennies, better ones for maybe £100 tops. Yes, I know that DACs are as much about component implementation as DAC chips etc cost, and of course R&D cost too, but £15k? Pull the other one.
I'd argue that in the right context speakers ranging from Tannoy Westminsters through Quad ELS 57s to Rogers JR 149 can all be 'unbeatable'. Same applies to numerous vintage/ veteran amps and so on.
I M E the major improvements in hi - fi are in the 'democratisation' brought about by huge SQ improvement at the budget end of hi fi, mostly brought about by digitisation, streaming etc.
People who ( Like me) would have had to be content with a Dansette ( or one of the many much less capable mass market offenders of the time) are now able to access much better SQ, and those of us fortunate enough to afford even the lesser offerings of the likes of Rega Linn NAIM, Michell, Denon, Rotel and many other Co.s are assured of decent SQ given decent component choice and set up.
 
I recall a thread on the original Naim forum about fuses. It wasn't about expensive audiophile fuses, per se. It was about the direction in which the fuse is inserted in the kit that made the difference. Apparently, alternating current alternates better in one fuse orientation than another.

As you can imagine, I along with many others tried both directions in in our Hi-Caps, amps, CD players, etc. A night and day difference. Day when the fuse was inserted, night when it was not.

Joe
 
‘Audiophile’ fuses certainly weren’t a thing 30 years ago. I remember the first time a rep came into the Linn/Naim dealership I was running and told me the next big thing was going to be fancy cables and gave me a couple of Furukawa ones to try. At the time I thought be was totally mad - little did I know….
 
In some ways it's also a lot more confusing as many, many solutions now with lots of mediums and end to end solutions. As pointed out fuses, stands, cables, DSP and so on are also now in the mix. But the nothing has funamentally changed the physics of speakers, amplifiers have changed with class D and G etc bringing higher power and more efficiency but rarely improved sound and less people are interested than they were 40 years ago. Digital has just got smaller and in theory more capable

It's similar to cars in a lot of respects, whilst they have improved in lots of areas, NVH, efficiency, safety controls etc, active suspension etc. They don't actually drive any better from an engagement perspective and communication with the driver
 
In regard to cables my view is that there’s been an evolution in the way they are marketed (in audio this means reviews). 50 years ago no one spoke of cables. Now people are splitting their budget evenly between active components and accessories…
 
YNWOAN said:
‘Audiophile’ fuses certainly weren’t a thing 30 years ago. I remember the first time a rep came into the Linn/Naim dealership I was running and told me the next big thing was going to be fancy cables and gave me a couple of Furukawa ones to try. At the time I thought be was totally mad - little did I know….
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Years back when I lived in Salisbury I did a factory tour of Naim and the guy was laughing with me at the 'audiophile' obsession with plugs and power cables. He said that Naim chose MK as they were British, had a very low quality rejection rate and were well made. The audiophile community then convinced themselves it was because Naim had done endless R&D and found that MK sounded the best.

Then came the hilarious fad of people using the red hospital/medical plugs as they sound better.

Audiophiles are idiots.
 
After my experience with the B&E 805 D4, for me, Hifi has improved without a doubt. What this speaker is able to deliver is unbelievable (IMO).
 
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