it’s not financial, my kids (in their 20s) can buy $5k-$10k hifi gear but the love their airpods and have never listened to my $15k stereo system. sadly my kids will probably sell off my stuff at a garage sale i’m 55 and got into highend hifi 2 years ago and and i am done upgrading. Even i was never interested in heavy components over 45 lbs or run hot (and i’ve auditioned $1m stereo systems with wilson audio and Wisdom Audio speakers with burmeister amps). i have: Apple Music lossless nad c298 amp goldenear brx 2 subwoofers eversolo dmpa6 + lps denafrips pontus II 12th dac denafrips iris 12th ddc Cardas parsec cables isoacoustics feet Parasound 2100 preamp ifi Supanova power cables my video ua-cam.com/video/FISznh39zf4/v-deo.htmlsi=Ql0U1YP8bGOEeQan
I agree with much of what you say but would add: - there's too much music now and it's not as special as it was in 60s, 70s - so many more ways to entertain ones self - the proliferation of digital music on damd makes music less special - most music systems will become earbuds paired to phones or smart speakers -People who are more serious about sound will focus on home theatre system for playing music and tv -Consumer grade stuff is and will continue to be closer to high end for sound - especially with room correction software and ai - luxury market still booms for everything though, so blue chip high end companies like mcintosh will go on, but lesser known obes won't.
The audio equipment you describe tie you to a specific room in your house. The car is not a good place to hear real hi-fi. So, tie yourself to one room and that gets you away from the active life the younger folks want. I used to build my own stereo and 4 channel equipment, now I build computers. Also, have you had a hearing exam, I needed hearing aids. Maybe you really don’t hear what you think you are hearing.
Very happy to see this video and have a thought . I have stereo speakers but not high engine like yours . I’m going to find some vintage audio stereo and record store i could put in my trust to give to that store .If not one near close to my end ask to put add in the internet Craigs list or similar . On youtube people that help others with clutter say nobody wants your stuff . Then why almost everything I have is on ebay for sale ?
Boomers defined themselves by the music we listened to. Music was sacred to us. That attitude has not been carried over to the present generation, which views music as incidental, ephemeral and disposable. That's why they don't care about the quality of music reproduction.
Don't forget Gen X, who produced the last great Rock genre called Grunge. Also, Jungle, Drum N Bass, early Dubstep, Death Metal and 90's Rap are all part of Gen X culture.
When we were wise in our own eyes, as children, discussing music, my Dad sat us down and made us listen to Caruso. We understood immediately, Babylon the Great is fallen.
$1 earbuds are poetic justice for the "music" being mass produced these days. Garbage in, garbage out and garbage equipment. It all fits together very nicely.
Earbuds are terrible, I prefer the full speaker sound but the family and neighbours do not, when Boomers go the World will have bigger problems but there will always be quality in certain fields, at a premium of course, and "music" will remain one of those fields, but getting quality music and systems might be more of an adventure rather than a shopping chore with the raft of systems available today most of questionable quality, I have recently purchased, for convenience, two Soundcore Motion X600 50 watt Bluetooth speakers for portability they have TWS (stereo) capability and I can put them where I can get some decent sound from my phone but it lacks separation and depth I can tweak the Software EQ so that might make a slight improvement, it seems to work well at present and can be taken into the garden as it is waterproof, so overall for £220 (For my early Xmas present) for two "it's not bad" as we say in the UK as life is full of compromises on a low pensioners budget and it's £10 a month on PayPal extended credit and if I croak it I won't have to pay the balance ( I know it's not really funny, but it is!)!?!
Even with the worst compressed music service aka Spofify, you can noticed the difference from Dollar Store earbuds with decent headphones in a huge way. So, I completely disagree. I also have to remind people that CDs are also compressed audio files as well. I think people tend to forget this. Which services like Tidal, have so much higher bit rate audio files than CDs ever had. Then there are other music services that matches CD quality audio bit rate. Yes, there is no match to well maintained records on a well maintained high end record player and good recording on Reel-2-Reel. Yet, most the world nowadays would not care to go at that level.
I am 60 and recently started getting rid of a lot of "stuff". Never could afford a house and have been a lifelong renter. Not having a place I could safely keep stuff permanently for fear of a rent increase forcing me to move. So I have been getting rid of what little I have, trying to get it down to just the essentials. With a smartphone, a ebook, and my pc I can have an unlimited amount of movies, books, music and games at my command. Streaming services let me have access to everything. It hurt to throw out my movies, cd's, and books, but if I am forced to move again, everything I own will now fit in my car. Once I am dead nobody will care about me or those things I cherished and we can't take anything with us from this life.
@@pizza4me298 The stuff we think is worth something, is not true for 99.9% of the population that surrounds us. That is OK. It was worth something to us. Remember the things we own, eventually start owning us. At some point, It is wise to limit possessions as much as possible. That is easier to do in the days of digital medial (in the cloud) and personal audio (AirPods) and laptops or tablets to access content we love. We just need a safe space to lay our heads and some food in our bellies.
I agree with that comment 100%. I'm 66 retired in the Philippines with a storage unit full of stuff in the US. I'm going back next year to sell it all off or give it away. I live in a small by US standards townhome but it's comfortable and it's paid for, taxes only costing $40 a year. It's liberating getting rid of stuff. My dad always said, we spend the first half of our life acquiring things and the second half getting rid of it all. He rented out his house in Texas and moved to San Diego where he lived on a sailboat for the rest of his life. I think it added years to his life as he was much more active.
@@telcobilly More fun in the PH ;) Another factor in SE Asia is that due to the tropical climate everything rots. Books, leather (why people love plastic), natural fibers, everything. In fact I don't take high-end binoculars over there since fungus will actually grow on the lens inside the case, requiring tedious cleaning.
…the only way I could afford to buy houses was by enlisting in the military at an early age, being honorably discharged, and using my earned GI Bill mortgage program benefit…
Young people can’t afford to rent or buy their own home. There is no way they will buy high quality gear if there is nowhere permanent to put it and use it.
This is a large part of the problem. Many young people that feel they are shut out of the housing market don't want to spend money on a big stereo system, when they might not have room for it in the next rented home they move into.
@@alexjenner1108you dont always have to buy the most sought after expensive gear ive some middle of the road stuff that some of that i got not working and repaired maybe some of the younger gen who imto electronics could go down that route and as for space most stackers take up the space of a up right fridge freezer with a speaker on each side
Why have a high output , high headroom system if you live in an apartment with neighbors . However, if you have your own place where you can rock the house, forget hifi . The idea of music playback is to replicate the live or studio recording. The way i hear it, why not use the same equipment as at a show. 2 dbl 18 subs and 2 top 3way . Jbl vertec always used top quality drivers and can be purchased cheaper than the wimpy hifi shiny stuff
No home? So what? My friend has a good system in his apartment and plays it as loud as he wants to. And every apartment I've ever lived in (except for my first apartment, a small studio) had at least a decent 2-channel stereo, even with my Dad's old jumbo solid wood speakers.
There has also been a social shift. Hi-Fi was not an isolationist hobby. At least not from my experience in sales and my personal life. Getting new gear, and music was a shared experience. So many great memories during the 70's listening to music with friends. Often in groups. Airpods and cell phones are not a shared experience. We are retreating socially. It's not healthy. Hi-Fi is a hobby, but it was also a way of life.
Well. When the youth gets on their own and can afford it. They will get their first large TV. Then get either a Home Theater or Soundbar system. That is a start in that direction. No different from my time going from Boom Boxes and Sony Walkman to our first stereo and TV or Home Theater. I think people tend to forget about that part.
When someone got a new album in the 1970s the guy with the best HI-FI system had lots of company. People took their favorite or latest vynal to friends homes to share. The social aspects of sharing recordings was a significant part of our social life in the 60s, 70s and 80s. And let's not forget about album art. Sometimes the artistry on the jacket was better than the contents,
@@ivanvarykino8202 The music industry has changed significantly. There is very little money left in it compared to what once was. I can see positives and negatives in that, as I think the industry affected many lives negatively as well as making a lot of people very wealthy before .mp3 . I think the devices we use for enjoying the music have changed in a similar way.
We used to gather at someone’s home on a Friday night and sit there listening to our records - for hours. When you first got a decent job, a stereo system was up there with a decent car as the number one and number two priority.
Yes, i remember listening to records in a basement wirh my friends. We found an electronics store on Canal Street that was selling speakers for $50/pair. Everybody bought a pair, at least 6 or 7 of us. They had 16" woofers with a mid-range and a tweeter in a nicely finished box and matched up great with whatever systems we had. Then, i got a job out of high school. Got my own place a 3 years later and in less than a year after that went to Crazy Eddie with a wad of cash and matched up a 50 watt per channel Hitachi receiver ($283) with a beautiful pair of speakers ($100 each) and Technics turntable. So, yes, my evolution was identical to yours.
after 4 years USAF, I went to college. in my 2nd year i was able to buy a Pioneer SX-626 Receiver and a pair of Altec 891a speakers. I was in heaven, even with only having FM radio to listen to. Two years later, I bought a Dual 1219 turntable . All that is gone now, replaced with a multitude of other components over the years and today I'm down to a Technics SA-EX410 receiver, a pair of JBL L96 speakers, and Panasonic DVD-RV31DVD/CD player which should last me the rest of my life. I should buy a used cassette player cause I have about a hundred of cassette tapes I'm holding on to.
The difference today is that there's many more forms of endless digital entertainment. Back in the day, we had 13 channels to watch on TV and the FM radio ,so having a stereo system along with a vinyl/CD/cassette collection was a must for most homes . Music used to be a big thing. People used to flock music stores in anticipation to pick up a new release album . Nowadays ,digital streaming has made music a dime a dozen form of entertainment
Using that logic, we might as well not bother buying a house or planting a garden-because, you know, when we die, they’ll be irrelevant. Let’s take it a step further: why form relationships? We’ll all die someday, so what's the point in connecting with people? Why even enjoy life at all? Forget trips, hobbies, or meaningful experiences-after all, the neurons that store our memories are destined to rot anyway. Hooray for nihilism! But here's the thing: life is finite, and that’s precisely why we should embrace the things we love, no matter how "irrelevant" they may seem to others. For you, it’s hi-fi systems. For someone else, it might be art, books, or traveling. These pursuits give us joy, connection, and identity. Isn’t that what makes life worth living? Sure, younger generations may have a different approach to music-minimalistic, portable, and convenience-driven. But dismissing something as “junk” simply because it doesn’t fit into their worldview? That’s missing the beauty of human diversity. Every passion, from vintage audio gear to cracked-screen Spotify playlists, tells a story. So let’s enjoy our “junk” unapologetically. Life’s too short to waste time justifying what brings us happiness to people who don’t understand it. After all, even if it all ends one day, wouldn’t it be better to leave behind a legacy of joy rather than a landfill of regret?
Great comment! I’m 64 . I’m just starting to get into vintage hi fi equipment 😊 I’ve always enjoyed my stuff ! Some People in my life don’t understand me and my joy in vintage Chainsaws collecting, trading, fixing, selling, and the hunt for the next one. If you are able … enjoy as many things as possible while you’re alive ! Cheers from Vancouver Canada 🍻
It isn’t really this, it’s that technology makes the old ways obsolete for most people. The world has moved on and spending big money on hifi isn’t part of the new world. Most people don’t want or need it and most people include some who used to buy hifi equipment. It’s not just hifi either. The computer industry has changed too. People used to spend time, money and effort on their home computer. Now they seen a few hundred bucks on a laptop that does the job. After three years buy another one. Subscribe to cloud services and everything will transfer across.
I'm 27 years old and I love collecting and repairing vintage audio gear I've got an entire shelf full of monster receivers from the late 70's along with cassette, vinyl, reel-to-reel, CD basically all the mainstream formats along with a wiim streamer. you cannot beat the pure analog sound. all these Bluetooth speakers etc to me just seem to have an over "engineered" sound
This is from a 64 year old O.G. Black man and music loving audiophile,(my full title!🤣). You're a great man and are helping to keep hi-fi alive. Keep up your outstanding work!👍👍💪💪
I'm 67 years old and just retired. I stumbled upon some videos talking about vintage stereos. it bought back a lot of memories about listening to the radio, 8-track and cassettes in my cars.. I did my research and bought a Pioneer SX-650 and some new Klipsch speakers. I'm home and really starting to enjoy quality music sound. I've been going to thrift stores and garage sales and finding music I like. It gets me out of the house.
Same, but it all came together for me (again) in 2020. I revived our old Technics turntable, but had nothing to play a record on....but I did have a sound bar. Bought a cheap preamp off of Amazon and pulled a box of records out that hadn't been opened since we moved 20+ years before. I had forgotten what it was like to sit and listen to a whole album. I realized that that was a hole in my life I needed to fill. I have the SX-1050 now, and a pair of ESS AMT-1 speakers that I stole for $200 off Craigslist. And a LOT more albums lol. The good news is one of my kids is beginning to get into it, and has made his demands clear that when I kick the stereo goes to him lol.
@@Krunch2020 You should be able to manually adjust a 15 or 20 channel EQ to your audiogram. If you have age related Sensorineural hearing loss it will usually be the upper frequencies that are missing. Some frequencies may be lost forever even with hearing instruments. Ask your audiologist to use one of your programs for music and keep the compression at minimum so that bass sounds don’t shut down the mids and highs.
@@bobr9605 I've tried commenting yesterday, but either youtube or @TheBoomeConsumer censored me (and not quite sure why)... I'll try again, and if it does not get through, I fold to yt c-o-m-m-u-n-i-s-t tendencies 😂 If we talk about generational gap, most of mainstream music today really don't require strong audio setup. If you want to listen to autouned music with simple matrices and no real instruments behind, there's not much high fidelity to begin with to enjoy something like that... You want it to be loud and for base to pump... But that's about it. That can easily be achieved with a plastic boombox with very cheap class D amps. To appreciate high-def formats and gear, you really need to tune your music taste to begin with. If you want to listen to something like November Rain, Bohemian Rhapsody or any classical piece, of course you want a strong sound stage and all the details that only hi-fi equipment can offer.
There are more distractions for young people today, when I was growing up it was a record player, a TV or the cinema, no iphones, no tablets, no computers, fewer distractions.
The vinyl disc had a finite number of plays, depending on your turntable/cartridge/stylus arrangement, before the recording would begin to deteriorate. Therefore, one engaged in active listening rather than playing it as background noise to fill the silence. I don't like background music if I am working because my mind wants to stop working and listen. Or, as happens more and more often, the "ticky-ticky-ticky-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t clank" crap that passes as music is horrifically irritating.
I think you’re pretty much on point here. I am over 60, the high end equipment was always lost on me. I could never hear the difference between good and really great systems and the cost of these systems rose faster than the quality. Your point about the snobbery is spot on. Wine snobs, beer snobs, hi-fi snobs, and snobs in most areas that run on personal preferences, experiences, and budget ruin it for everyone. I think there are many things that will not survive to the next generation: antique furniture, china sets, solid silver cutlery, dining rooms, camera equipment, etc., and high end audio gear is on that list. As for those who dunk on younger people spending money on phones don’t seem to understand that the phone is a substitute for thousands of dollars of older gear: computer, mail, text, telephone, camera, movie camera, television, books, magazines, newspaper, simple stereo system, records, typewriter, and the list goes on. It replaces roomfuls of stuff that were bought and stored. Space is expensive. Note that the technology is disappearing. The TV, stereo, bookshelf, magazine rack were all separate items. These have disappeared the cloud servers and the phone. It once was that you could walk into a house, see the newspapers, magazines, books, and records and given what they had you learned something about the people there. The absence of such stuff was instructive, too. Now, that’s almost all gone. Nostalgia is a trap and thinking the old times were better is a trap, too. The old days weren’t that good and it’s easy to forget the bad times. Things change, new things arise and old things fade away. What is considered valuable and useful changes, too. If it’s valuable to you, great, that doesn’t mean it’s valuable to some else.
Because it's old doesn't mean it's always valuable. Nostalgia factors into perceived value too. Electronics has always had a very steep depreciation. The components just tend to degrade with time from heat and current. Some items are attractively styled and hold there value more. Plus ultimately you just can't keep everything you've bought. PS I'll add that I think it's amazing what they've packed into modern phones, very useful and convenient.
People mainly buy 'high-end' things to show off and talk about. If they are not considered interesting by the people you want to impress, they don't have very high value. In that way, It seems everything becomes obsolete some time. Most phenomenons don't live for too many generations of humanity.
My daughter and I went and seen the band Sleep token which we both enjoy. She lit up like a tree with all the emotions. A few months later I was jamming on my living room sound system which was a Yamaha RX-v870, a bit newer, but its no slouch, and my Realistic Mach Ones which were recently restored with the Tier 1 crossover upgrade. Streaming on a old school system. Sleep Token came on and my daughter ran to the living room, sat beside me with that same look. When that bass hit, she was stunned! She looked at me and said, it sounds just like the concert. That night we listened to a variety of music and I even let her choose hers and play with the sound settings of the RX-V870. I think its up to us as hobbyists and enthusiasts if we want this equipment to be here long after we are gone. introduce this younger generation and let them experience our systems. Let them press buttons and turn knobs, let them listen to their music on our equipment. Allow them to hear it and feel it the way we did. Let that Hifi bug bite them. Who knows? May lead to more future techs to service this old stuff. May even start a new war of the stereos creating and building amps through our old school sound with their modern streaming devices.As you have mentioned! stop the bashing and shaming! If someone who is even slightly interested, welcome them and answer questions accordingly. Give them advice when they need it.
Your every word matched my thought today and my experience from yesteryear. I'm 71 & hearing loss, a musician at 9, and Acoustic Guitar 66 years. Recording engineering in college, worked in High-Fi sales in my mid 20s. I just finished working for an employer, it was a blessing, my age. He sold and consulted on music sales internationally, mostly collectable vinyl. He had professionally restored and reconditioned home audio systems in plentiful supply for sale. Now retired, there is nothing near me to replace him. HE was a part of my town's culture and history. My answer to you is- "Modeling" is all we can do. We must become evangelists and mentors to future audiophiles. And keep 'em humble and sharing like us. About my hearing... the better quality sound in the room, headphones, car etc. the better is the experience for this old deaf guy. Long Live High Fidelity Music! Sam Hatman
This is reminiscent of what is happening with camera equipment. Most younger folks prefer to use their phones for taking photographs, and the volume of camera equipment sold by companies like Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Canon and others has dropped significantly. It doesn't surprise me that a similar thing would happen with high fidelity equipment. I've always loved music. When I started buying hifi equipment I was in the Army earning about $350 a month (1970s) so there wasn't a lot of money to spend on gear. Same with photography. But as I got older and had a good career I could afford to spend more on hifi and photo gear. I do hope that there will always be enough people interested in music, with a decent budget, so that these great companies can survive. Good video Bruce.
This is from a 64 year old Black man and music loving audiophile,( my full title! 🤣). Yes! the same applies to the photo hobby. Most can definitely forget about Leica, Hasselblad and Lumix. Man, talk about through the roof!!
Yep, the photography folks are already hurting. Thing is, the quality of a photo from a more traditional set-up (even digital) is superior to whatever you shot on your phone. But, it seems, good enough is good enough these days. I gotta think you bought that stereo in the 70s overseas. Those audio shops were frigging AMAZING back then! I wish I still had the Pioneer system I bought in Germany.
@@oldtop4682 Yeah - the Audio/Photo Shops the Military ran in German had everything, and at greatly reduced prices. Most of my Army buddies had great stereo Systems (as did I.)
@@oldtop4682 The physical resolution of the group of reflective silver microparticles on a frame 35 mm film is about 3200 dots per inch while a modern RGB CMOS sensor can exceed 12,000 dots per inch depending upon the manufacturer. In fact, the CMOS sensor in the Smartphone is 2x to 4x the resolution of film giving QUALITATIVELY and OBJECTIVELY BETTER RGB pixel resolution than film! Comparing the film grain against discrete RGB pixels on a CMOS sensor is a misnomer! The CMOS sensor is OBJECTIVELY cleaner, less-noisy and more colour-intense than the 35 mm film frame! V
The problem is not the HiFi. It is also not the older generation. The problem is that modern music is just not worth listening to on anything better than a blue tooth speaker.
@@vincentmollica2982 Sorry but I think that you are very lost. Every year if you look very good you can find artist that make incredible music. The issue is those artist are very niche not like it was before that you have popular artist. Make a your duties and can find diamond in the mood. For me this an example ua-cam.com/video/s3bSgz8EXaI/v-deo.html
I guess it might depend on the type of music that you are looking for. But, I whole heartedly disagree with you when it comes to rock/ hard rock and metal. There is so much new stuff being released all the time, I can't keep up. Hell, some of my favorite albums of all time .... OF ALL TIME...have been released is just the past few years.
Tell me about it. I have done well to middle down my things but looking at my parents and my Aunt and uncle and all the sh#$ they have. Its incredible.
True, regardless of the original value, the process of selling anything used is often not worthwhile. You just post a low price for someone to take it off your hands before you have to pay someone to dispose of it.
Oddly, and I may be the exception to the rule, when my father passed, most of my newer workshop tools got bundled away, and his collection of up to 50 years old, now take pride of place on the walls and benches. Yes, different items, but the concept is there.
I do not care what my devices, records, instruments, cars or whatever will be worth when I die. It is my life they were bought to bring joy to, not the life of some people in the future. Some things I own are now worth much more than when they were new, some others are worth less. But the things themselves have stayed exactly the same.
I'm in my 60s and pretty much all of my audio gear is from the '70s, from my setup in my living room to the system in my shop and also in my office. When I'm on my shop floor I usually run the audio from a computer tied into the receiver, but at times I'll throw in a CD. Just yesterday I was in my office listening to some cassettes that I recorded onto Maxell UDXL tapes almost 40 years ago and they still sounded great after all those years. I still run the turntable that I bought new in the early '80s in the living room, and have all my vinyl I purchased through the 70s and '80s. I think the younger generations today don't have the patience to sit and just listen to music anymore, having been bombarded with constant stimulations their whole lives with smart phones and computers. They will never know the joy of coming home with a new LP, carefully putting it onto the turntable and just sitting back to listen with a clear head and no distractions.
I've been explaining to my 17-year-old son what listening to music was like decades back: You'd gather at the house of a friend with a decent-to-excellent sound system (pre-amp, amp, belt-driven turntable, speaker system specialized by tonal range), find the best spot in the room for sound quality, and listen to albums together. He was most fascinated to learn that albums were actually made for sedentary, engaged listening, preferably on just such a system setup. Who knows? Maybe these defunct retail spaces could turn into listening rooms. I'd love to see my kid's face the first time he hearts "Dark Side of the Moon" on a premium sound system.
When I was a kid ~1975 we used to go my neighbors house and listen to dark side of the moon bc he had the best stereo around with wide spaced giant speakers, that’s when I got the bug to play guitar. That album just launched my imagination.
The question is, did you actually play something on one of your hifi systems? Like, pick his favorite song from Spotify, and play it through a system that can really bring out the sound in a way he's never heard before. That's what gave me the bug, so many years ago. I had been listening to boomboxes and walkmans and other stuff and went to a friend's house with a sweet system and heard proper separation and clarity and BASS!! Yeah, once you hear music on a good system, it's hard to go back to those airpods and phone speakers...
Gen Z complain of the high costs of living but have no issues spending thousands on smartphones, tattoos, etc. Thats were their priorities lie. The music they listen to is perfectly well served by dollar store earphones plugged into low bit rate streams.
Most listen to music on their smartphones It's why the 4 minute often autotuned songs have eclipsed the maticulously written & recorded concept albums.
On your other point, there's no incentive for younger lower paid workers outside of the public SECTOR here in UK 🇬🇧now to have savings above 3k. Buying a home is totally out of reach & rental housing & other benefits are means tested, So many spend disposible income on hobbies such as visiting theme parks here, in Europe & in USA 🎢
how can you blame them? For $1000-2000 you get a gadget that covers everything - phone, computer, camera, video recorder, stereo system, clock, alarm, etc. And you can carry it with you anywhere. In the old days you would have to buy every system separately and together, and it would cost you way more that $2000.
It's all relative, and I'm not particularly sympathetic to Gen Z on many things, but as a Gen X kid I've watched my dollars lose their value over the past few decades. 1,000 dollars in 2024 money is not the same as a 1,000 dollars in 1990 or 2000 money. These younger people have very legitimate gripes, the same as we Gen X types did... boomers have all the wealth accumulated to themselves and they're hanging on to it to the very last minute of their existence, and that has a profound effect on younger generations being able to buy houses or start families.
Smartphone is a necessity like landline phones were a necessity at your times. You can not blame someone for spending money on technology that is necessity in the modern age. Especially when we are talking about vintage audio systems for our own pleasure. I can hear you thinking right now "They do not need to spend a grand on a Smartphone". When they can go for a $250 cheap Smartphone". Let me put it this way: Remember the money you spent on photo camera, film, film processing, ordering prints, your video recorder camera, the film or cassettes you bought, your landline tape answering machine, the tapes for your answering machine, and so much more that Smartphone replaces? Now take that cost amount into November 2024 inflation. How much would that cost if they were around in 2024? Meaning that the Smartphone is not just a "Phone". It is a photo camera, with your home printer is a photo prints producer, video recorder, mini mobile computer, data communicator, and so much more. I mean so much more than technology was there for the average user back in the day. Which means quality matters. That is why they are not buying a $250 cheap Smartphone. And why they are spending a grand on a Smartphone. Tattoos? Believe me. There are so much less Gen Z getting tattoos than my Gen X did. Even with the worst compressed music service aka Spofify, you can noticed the difference from Dollar Store earbuds with decent headphones in a huge way. So, I completely disagree at that point. I also have to remind you that CDs are also compressed audio files as well. I think people tend to forget this. Which services like Tidal, have so much higher bit rate audio files than CDs ever had. Then there are other music services that matches CD quality audio bit rate.
I pride myself in mixing old with new.Using vintage amplifiers and speakers coupled with modern Streamers and DACs. I think this combining of old and new will secure a place for a lot of vintage audio equipment as it has for me
I have two kids, now 18 and 20. My elder “got it” from the beginning and although typical for the generation in terms of Spotify et al, is not a dollar store earbud user but uses high quality headphones. Often when they discovered a new artist or song, they’d ask to hear it on my system as soon as possible. My second one was very sniffy about the whole thing - a gamer, used to headphones all the time, and not picky. Until one night she challenged me on what it was all about, and why was there tens of thousands of dollars tied up in hifi. For her, I asked her to name a favourite game soundtrack - because games these days have soundtracks as good as movies in our time - and we played that. The light bulb went on and we spent another two hours working through other games and then some favourite music. Exposure to good audio is the key, as it always has been. It’s just harder to sit today’s younger generation down and show them. That said vinyl is on a massive resurgence among 20 somethings and they will want gear on which to play it. It’s inherently not portable and therefore the earbuds will have to be removed for that.
Problem is, even the kids who do buy vinyl records have no idea how good it can sound. I fear the vinyl resurgence is just a faddy trend, and will soon die out when they realise that their overpriced lps are just digital anyway.
This comes under the category “Nobody wants your crap.” Whether it is high quality expensive leather furniture, high quality artwork, high quality Persian Rugs, or high quality audio gear. Your kids don’t care about it, and don’t have a house big enough to hold it. Most of it will end up in the dumpster or the whole contents of the house be sold to the highest bidder for a few bucks. I have high end audio and enjoy it now… if it ends up in the land fill too bad. I got my enjoyment and too bad for the world
This is true. Seen some for sale 7.50 cents each at a store that buys out estates. I remember when a decent Yamaha receiver was $500 . Now it's $7.50 cents. Stack of equipment just gathering dust. Shoppers just walk by it. No interest
Some of the things you mention do have value afterwards, but electronics not so much unless it's a 70's "vintage" receiver which people are foaming at the mouth over on eBay, I think moreso for looks & nostalgia, than sound quality imho. Perhaps a person can leave a list/picture of what they feel has real value just to help out their survivors dealing with an estate. The rest can go to recycling or thrift shops (who are getting more savvy about the valuations). Cheers
@ Thanks for your insight. Yes there is a limited market for some high end things. That involves work on the part of the person that will be selling these valuable items. Unless there is a relative with free time on their hands and the desire to track down buyers for specific items, that won’t be happening in the vast majority of cases. I have no desire to sell these things as they are “dear friends” and I will enjoy them until I pass away. Hopefully in 10-15 years if I have the average life expectancy. Personally I would rather give stuff away to “deserving” people who would appreciate it. Let’s see what happens in the future. Thanks again for the idea of leaving a list of things I think is valuable.
@@itsallminor6133 Yes a whole different mind set for those at an estate sale or garage sale. I have had garage sales where no matter what the item is listed at, they want to pay a dollar… then get mad when you don’t have a bag to put it in. 🤣
I enjoy owning "Crap" that nobody wants. While everyone around me frets and worries about their houses being broken into and robbed, I enjoy stuff that's built to last so I can save my money to put towards things like carefree vacations. If it ends up in a dumpster after I'm dead, that's a loss for the future generation; it won't bother me at all because I'll be dead.
Hi-end audio is for reproducing acoustic music - classical symphonic and chamber music, jazz, acoustic rock, voices, etc. Guess what Gen Z listens to? It ainʻt any of that stuff. Their music sounds fine on ear buds. People who appreciate classical, jazz and acoustic music in general are often people play and perform that music. They played an instrument in school band or orchestra. With the school systems no longer supporting music programs, Gen Z isnʻt learning to play instruments or listen to acoustic music. Gen Z is listening to pop and hip-hop, neither form requires quality reproduction.
Agree in principle, but I've also seen them get it when they hear music in a room on nice equipment (the kind of music you mentioned). It's like they're really hearing music for the first time. My son is 17, and we were listening to an album from the seventies. He said at one point: "Where did they find so many incredible musicians?" I've found that a lot of kids are actually very curious about what our music was like and really respond when they hear it for the first time, especially on good gear (which it was recorded for).
Ten years ago, I was running my telescope at an astronomy event. I was showing Saturn to guests. I will never forget the teenager who stopped briefly to hold up his smart phone and say, "I don't need to look through a telescope. I can see Saturn anytime I want on my phone." Smart phones have invaded all categories of hobbies. Sad.
I'll be 72 in a few months. My wife has a huge reflector telescope she paid over $1000 for. When she tries to get me to go out in the cold at night I have told her the same thing. I can see better inages on the internet. However, I am a lifelong audiophile. It's just a matter what your priorities are.
I've been an amateur astronomer for 55 years and use high end refractors. A picture of Saturn isn't the same as seeing it at the eyepiece. In fact, seeing the universe in the eyepiece is so much better. I think if you see it for yourself you'd agree. Don't get me wrong, pictures are nice but being out under the stars is so much better. BTW, I still love and use my audio system from the mid 80's. Works great!
All of these hobbies are vanities, and as amateurs we are just dilettantes. I admit this as a boomer who spent way too much money over the years on audio gear and astrophotography systems.
His loss, IMO. I remember one early evening in late 1973 looking at Jupiter and Mars through the school's telescope and seeing the Galilean moons (and Mars's moons too, Phobos and Deimos) - it was an experience I'll never forget.
I think the biggest problem is that to appreciate hi-fi audio you have to sit still and listen. No one does that anymore. Kids esp are always doing 2 things at once. Even parents can't really enjoy music if they're also cooking, cleaning, etc.
Ummm... Except you forgot to mention that kids, and sadly even some "adults" will permanently make imprints on chairs due to playing the latest silly video game for many hours a day.
@@joeblowe7545 Great point. However, playing games is much more engaging to many, compared to sitting and listening to music. You are watching, listening and reacting. I am not defending them as I love music and have always been an audiophile. But just saying to appreciate audio quality you have to focus on the music and not also be doing something else. The world has become multitask-centric.
I remember the days of bong hits in Ritchie's or Pat's basement listening for hours to Hawkwind, The Who, Talking Heads, Zappa, Patti Smith, Pink Floyd, Ultravox, XTC, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, The Damned, Rush, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Gary Numan, Peter Gabriel and many other artists. Music was a defining part of one's life back then.
I’m 72 years old and remember the golden age of hifi in the 70’s and 80’s. The quality isn’t as important as the accessibility to the music. I’m more than willing to give up some quality to be able to access the music I want anywhere, anytime. That being said, I still play my Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul through a tube amp. Go figure.
I’m 67. I also play my Strat and Gibson Les Paul through a tube amp. All you need are those two guitars! As a boy during the 1960s, I remember my dad’s 1950s hi-fi record player with tubes. Smelled and sounded great!
Here here. I'm more of an SG/tele guy. Five Watt world has an all you need guitar presentation on UA-cam. Five guitar you really need this would include an ES as well. Give me music over tv. Television is restrictive being planted there helplessly in front of the picture screen.
I hit the thrift shops to find things to flip on online auction houses. A common thrift item found is high end audio gear. Receivers which would have once cost me 3 months pay now sell for , at most , $29.99. Also in antique shops, I'll find Marantz amps for $159. As a 20 something I used to lust over this stuff, now the finest dream electronics of my youth are available for pocket change.
Fun to read these comments (from mostly the older generation like me). I spotted a funny comic drawing recently relating to high end gear. This guys looking at his mates turntable and asked ‘What attracted you to vinyl??’ 2 things he replied…..the expense, and the inconvenience…Enough said.
Here's were I think Schiit Audio is doing a really smart thing by producing high quality desk top gear that exposes consumers to the potential of high quality sound at very reasonable prices. Eventually it paves the way for those consumers to upgrade over time. Their efforts should be noted, IMHO.
There is also cost and convenience. Many of us had hi-fi systems, vinyl and cassette back in the day and we loved it. But purchasing and taking care of all was part of a different life style and mindset that no longer exists. You could spend hours just to make yourself a 60-minute cassette to play in the car. Now it takes minutes to make a playlist hours long for your phone or (somewhat older) MP3 player. Our music library of the past took up boxes or bookshelves of space. Now you can hold your entire library in your hand. I don’t use my phone for music as many today do. I still have an iPod Touch I use for music to wirelessly connect to my car or my bluetooth speaker at home. And I still buy my music. I refuse to pay a subscription to stream music and be at the mercy of some unkown agency deciding what I might or might not be able to listen to.
Bear in mind that 60 years ago we listened to music from noisy, scratchy 45 rpm vinyl on cheap record players and AM radio with noise and fading, and watched TV in black-and-white. Did it bother us? No.
I am roughly your age at 65. Most folks could care less about my old stereo stuff. Our parents grew up listening to radios as kids at home. Maybe a record player. Most of them came home from work and watched TV as adults. The audio people were a minority I would say. Growing up in the seventies a stereo was a big thing. It was a big deal when I got my Pioneer SX 450 (15-20 watts) and turntable. Then a cassette deck to record the records to share with friends and play in the car. Today I rode with a 35 year old that plays video games with his friends. Others are continually on social media. So I feel that trying to get them interested stereos are like pushing a chain. And we are just trying to relive our youth. Most of the big brands are owned by holding companies that own half of the old stand alone companies. The new super high end stuff is as good as the best stuff in the seventies. Which were very well built. The high end stuff now is for trust fund babies that have no social skills and need something for bragging rights in their weird little clicks that they are comfortable with. So like Frank Sinatra bury me with the stuff I love. My 1978 Yamaha CR 420 receiver and my 1978 Yamaha TC 520 cassette deck. We are and probably always nerds. So after taking a forty year sabbatical we are going back to our cherished stereos that made us feel so good in the past. Hobby is the currant moniker for our brush with our glory days until someone dredges up another past behavior for our next hobby. It may be searching a thrift stores for blow dryers.
One of the problems with the younger gens is that most new music is autotuned, so earbuds and bluetoothed speakers are streamed though their phones and are " good enough". Yes they may listen to AC/DC on the streamers, but sit them down in the "sweet spot" in front of the speakers and you may make them a convert.
I have a phrase I tell younger people about equipment which you could share with that younger gentleman: "Buy well, buy once." Kids these days are used to spending a couple hundred dollars on things expecting it to break in a year or two! Crazy! I wouldn''t even say HiFi is a middle class hobby. Spending a few thousand dollars on equipment that will last you for decades makes audio equipment one of the last bastions of sensible purchases.
The problem is that most music released today is heavily compressed. No HiFi, ar any price can fix that. Why do you think they insist on playing the usual well recorded rubbish at shows?
Im a 52 yo ex mobile Dj , I love my McIntosh amp and preamp hand down to me from another retired disc jockey, the point, as you mentioned , times are changing and evolving, the appreciation for the warm sound of analog vs digital playback, is not the same for the new generation,it’s sad t see the quality of “the listening experience “ has dwindled, kinda reminds me of trying to buy quality men’s suit, the quality is gone for the masses
I can no longer hear a lot of the frequencies that I might enjoy, so there's that. I do love what I can hear on my Air Pods 4, because they never disturb anyone else, and I can go for long walks and listen to music.
I'm glad to tell you that I introduced both my daughters to music at a young age. All kind of music. Then, when they got older, around 10 and 12 years old, I introduced them to high fi gear. I encouraged them to put their favourite album and close their eyes, and visualise how the band must be disposed in front of them. Then, to do the same thing with lower quality sound system. They both thought it sounded horrible. They were used to my very good speakers and sound system. When they grew older and got their first appartement, they knew exactly what they wanted. Music has an important place in their lives, and having a good quality sound system was even more important. My eldest daughter choose a marantz separated system, 3300 pre-amp, 250 Amplifier, and 120 tuner, I completely rebuild these with high quality components. She also got a Thorens TD-160 to go with that system. She use Tannoy Berkeley as speaker. The younger also use a good quality components system from mcintosh that I also put back to original specification. She prefer the tube sound of the MC 240 amplifier and the C22 pre-amp that I also rebuild back to original specification. She prefer to use a techics sl-1200 MK 2 with her system. She use klipsch heresy speakers. They both wait to have enough money to buy decent sound system as they said it was pointless to listen to their favourite music with a cheap sound system. Don't try to tell them about blue tooth portable speaker. They will laugh. Obviously they also use blue tooth headphones when they're not home. My point being that if you don't teach them to the difference between à good system and a bad one, obviously they won't care, same for the music. I did what my parents did with me and taught them the difference à good sound system make, and how their favourite artists are more enjoyable on a good sound system. BTW, they're 26 and 29 years old. Both their boyfriends got their minds blown when they listen to their favourite music with that equipment. Obviously I know not everyone have the money or the space to have a system like this. But a good pioneer SX-1010 or Marantz 2270 receiver with modern Wharfedale or KEF speakers can do wonders. They both have the intent to teach my 4 grandkids how music is enjoyable. It's something that can be taught and must be taught to the younger generation, as long as they love music.
keep the old gear there is nothing better than hearing music from vintage receivers through large 3-way speakers with 12 and 15 inch woofers cranked up at concert level volume
True until your hearing becomes permanently damaged or the police get called because you disturb the people in your neighborhood. Remember music is a subjective thing and most of it I do not want to be subjected to.
@@bobair2 Use some of your HIFI budget to buy a secluded house in the country where your neighbor's house isn’t right on top of yours. That’s the price you pay for living in the city or burbs.
They call Macdonalds a restaurant. There is a market for really good stuff. And truth be told, once you get hooked on high quality, it's just hard to o back. Lots of people have their own priorities when it comes to allocating money, and allocating space. I find that in any endeavor, individuals regard other individuals as out of their mind as to how they apply priorities. Music is just 'moving air', just like cars are just 'going from A to B' or food is just 'not going hungry'. Some people are privileged to be enjoying life on a more refined regimen.
Agree. From the point of view of the next generation, mine is effectively junk. That’s why I buy it all from resellers, online marketplaces, and thrift stores. Great stuff for cheap!
I have been a musician, recording engineer and audiophile for over 50 years living in a tiny apartment with thin walls, no room for ideal speaker placement, and can't have any volume that would be close to normal for acoustic instruments. I listen to music 99% of the time with near field active monitors and closed back headphones. A sound staged audiophile room and system is a distant dream.
I've been into records since I started DJing in high school and that DJ setup slowly developed into a hifi system over the years. I just passed 30 and most of my peers are like the guy you're talking about. I'm definitely considered "young" in the hifi hobby, but there has been a "vinyl revival" in the past decade. This will be a gateway for a small part of them to get into actual hifi audio. But most of hifi will outprice itself above the paygrade of average joe and become a rich mans hobby: I mean, just look at the prices for aftermarket tonearms, that's not just inflation, it's actual price gauging!
A) That audio gear through the ages is great fun, not junk. 😉🎶 B) From what I've seen around here, Hi-Fi priorities among youth are shifting, not really disappearing, so I do see some hope! 😊 C) I definitely have empathy for the struggling youth right now, as times are not financially wonderful. D) You're not going anywhere for a long while, Bruce! 😉👍
Lol my gaming headset is a Sennheiser HD800S with a separate Rode shotgun mic - sounds hifi to me! But I'm 31, so idk if that qualifies as "young". I did have that setup since I was 28 though.
@@QoraxAudio I agree. Although Sennheiser HD800S is also used some audio/video post production and some recording studios. Being over a grand. Many can not afford them.
@@jaguarxta Yeah, that's the point I tried to make: it's not really about the age or application, it's about the willingness (or ability) to pay for good quality sound!
@@QoraxAudio I have both Sennheiser HD 800 S (open end), Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 (closed end). Depending on the environment on what I use. Since Sennheiser HD 800 S is open end. These are not for environment that it will disturb others around me. That is when I use my Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 being closed end is better to use. Yes, the Sennheiser HD 800 S is my best headphones. Yet, I also like the audio characteristics of Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2. So, sometimes I would choose Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2. Also I have Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro for on the go. Not as good as either of my headphones. Still, much better than Apple Airpods. Still, I still like the loudspeakers over headphones. There is something about hearing the music or audio of the video throughout the room itself over listening thru headphones or earbuds. Also gives my head and ears break from headphones and earbuds. The thing is more: Do we really have to have a full blown receiver with full size speakers to have real good sound? Or can you go for a Mid to High End Soundbar system with surround speakers and subwoofer/s like Samsung Q990 Soundbar system, Nakamichi Dragon Soundbr system, etc? Or even a decent Mid to High End headphones.
Even the quote high end isn’t worth the difference in price. It’s the cool factor. I’ve been an audiophile for 60 years. I can literally look at a speaker without hearing it and tell you how it will sound based strictly on visual of the driver. As far as the components, most equipment peaked out by mid ninety’s. You’re getting fidelity beyond the source material. Like a movie filmed in the eighties looks like a movie in the eighties no matter how many K you add to the end. I currently have a system that I would put up against anything period and I have less than 5000 into it.
I'm 71 with several hifi systems around the house some being audiophile quality and I probably couldn't sell any of it locally. Even donating it would be hard because they don't want stuff they can't sell. People get blown away by the audio quality of it but they would never buy it. No money and no room. You are 100% dead on. People are living pay check to pay check. Sadly the new tech has made the old obsolete and unwanted by the newer generation. I will continue to enjoy my gear until its time for the old folks home and then I fear most will end up in the dump . How fast it all changed. I lay back and listen to record on my turntable and get blown away every time. Nothing today equals it. Its like the musicians are in the room and every nuance is heard with a perfect soundstage. Thanks for the video.
There are "vintage" hifi shops around who would be happy to visit and buy your gently used equipment when the time comes. They could offer you a price for the entire lot as opposed to selling it off individually on eBay or sites like Audiogon. Just search around on the internet. Records are bought in lots too by vinyl shops otherwise there's Discogs for your most valuable items. I have the same dilemma myself and can't think of anyone I know who wants my stuff. So it goes. Cheers
This talk is interesting. Recently, my son asked me how a record player works. I ended up buying a linear tracking turntable, with a Yamaha amp, and Wharfedale Denton speakers, and use the DVD player for a CD player. Relatively inexpensive setup (
Some good points well made. I think that by suggesting that you have to spend a small fortune to hear quality sound, a certain section of the “audiophile community”, dissuade a large number of people from discovering the joy of higher fidelity audio. I put together a great sounding desktop system for under $300, which reawakened my passion for music. I have upgraded a couple of times, but if I had listened to some UA-cam pundits I would never have bothered as I have had not got a thousand bucks or so spare.
@shadowofpain8144 Nah, what about the Ohm Walsh? They are awesome and not that expensive, and even on a serious budget, I've been using the Logitech Z906, and let me tell you, they're hifi enough it tricks my dog with nature sounds, staring at the speaker, and to me those most of the time don't sound like speakers, just let out what was recorded, you dont need MBL or crazy stuff
They have no respect for the quality and engineering of vintage music and audio equipment. Most of the kids listen to low def, highly compressed, auto-tuned crap on their phones.
Recording quality is much better than ever before, in my opinion. Noise to signal ratio is very low with amps these days ,as well. That said, my system has improved the older recordings I have considerably. Streaming has changed the way music is listened to. I think headphones, headphone amps and dacs are the big ticket items these days because- as you pointed out, a good many young people live at home with their parents or with housemates where everyone has different tastes in music.
Unfortunately, mixing and mastering choices often make the end result worse, with excessive compression (loudness war) and egregious digital distortion effects.
Ignorance is pretty much incurable. My nephew was dribbling on about house/rap/ whatever it is, computer generated noise, actually. So I played Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsies, Machine Gun, through my Denon/JBL system. The look of absolute disbelief, was well worth the price of admission.
Any “layperson” who’s ever heard music on a good system has, in my experience, noticed the difference. “I didn’t know that little detail was even in there and I’ve been listening to this song for years!” “The sound feels very ‘full’ without being too loud or too shrill” are the ways they usually put it, but they do notice.
I think the answer to how to pass the high quality audio torch down to the next generation lies in the video game industry. I came into home theatre looking for good speakers, because there were no good "PC speakers" made anymore. I house sat for my dad once, and he suggested that I hook my PC up to his home theatre. WOW! I realized then that video games can leverage a home theatre better than a movie on Blu Ray ever could! Like you said, I think showing people what a good or even great experience is like is the key!
When I graduated from High School, the first thing I bought was a TEAC turntable, a Rotel receiver/amp., and two huge Bolivar speakers. You just couldn’t face your college years without a decent stereo. And it really wasn’t all that expensive. Now, with mono sound being often the only option…sound sucks.
I used to sell hifi equipment back in the mid 1970's and it was a big thing. I got into it accidentally and could very easily have missed the need for high quality gear, powerful amps, beautiful turntables and amazing speakers. It was'nt many years before people were buying their audio equiptment in the UK from shops like Currys and departmental stores, it was cheap, you didn't need to match bits together, it was all done for you, the sound was acceptable but not great compaired to say buying a pair of Kef speakers, Thorens turntables and a Quad amp. The other change was what people listened to, back in the pre 2000's young people tended to listen to quite a vast selection of musical genres, You had bands like Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons project stretching the sounds out of your system. Sadly for the most part music has deteriated until now you don't need high quality gear to listen to it. The good news is that music doesn't stand still and I believe that as the generations come and go, there will be a new coming of amazing music replacing the sounds of today and the need for decent equipment to listen to it on will return.
Some time ago redid the donuts of my beautiful KEF 104.2 loudspeakers while also refinishing the cabinets. I posted pictures on social media to show my progress. A woman I know expressed to me when she read how old they are that I needed to throw them away because they were junk. A modern day pair of Bose would be much better she said. Bose just doesn't do it for me, to be kind. The KEF are hardly worthless.
My kids, late twenties, said that the older HiFi gear is an audiophile's dream.They are music nerds. They also genuinely love old tapes and records--analog--again, because they are an audiophile's dream.
In fact, after watching this video, I connected my old RCA Integrated Stereo Amplifier, listened to some 80´s non remastered songs and came to the conclusion that this is the way they meant to be listened: the reverberance from an old style amplifier and it´s AC voltage regulators, make the voice track to be heard more clearly and with higher volume. Simple facts, beautiful sounds.
Interesting thoughts. The crazy thing is right now I believe we are in a great time to be alive for hifi gear. What the future holds who knows. I, like many, started my hifi journey in the 70s. Of course, back then, there were no smart phones, iPods, laptops, etc. There were more brick and mortar hi fi stores, which stopped me in my tracks, and I discovered music could sound so much better, or at least louder. But like today's generation, hifi took a backseat for quite a while because I was too busy and moving all the time, that is until I retired and longed for a better listening experience again.
I'm mostly set with disposing with my stuff (I am now in remission but it can revert at any moment, and then I'll be gone in about one month). My successors have a list of all hardware and all blank tapes with worst/best price estimates; if they decide to save time on selling, they have the contacts for a few dealers that I know and trust. Sure, they'd probably get 10c on a dollar at best, but at least the stuff will stay alive and not end in a landfill. Some, most valuable and/or irreplaceable pieces are clearly labeled "keep to yourself even if it looks ugly". There are many fine new phono cartridges on the market but there won't be any mint Nakamichis, ever.
I'm in same situation brother, keep the faith and for what it's worth I've had success figuring out who I know that would derive the same pleasure from my gear (and wife would allow it in the house) and just give it to them. Gave my son inlaw nice Pioneer set up and now we have something in common other than my daughter and these seeds definitely have started to sprout. He's now eyes my other higher end kit!
Thanks to Chinese manufacturing & some innovative western companies, the equipment can be an inexpensive one time purchase. What gets me is the cost of new LPs at $40 to $140 a piece. I hope cash strapped young people are NOT getting sucked into that rabbit hole. And forget used LPs, their covers are usually dinged up & the LP full of pops, clicks & surface noise. Hi-Res streaming & CDs are a much better value!
When I arrived in the US in '85 I replaced many LPs that had been trashed by a UK HiFi store's cleaning machine (idiots), most LPs were $5, that's $15 in 2024 dollars. That's what a new LP should cost in 2024. The record store was just down the street from the Holiday Inn where I was staying, they had no CDs yet so I showed them a few & were happy to special order my LPs.
Outstanding! As a 60 year old that started my first system in the hi fi space at 16, I completely agree with you all points. I started with a Syscom 5000 Pioneer system and within weeks traded up the loudspeakers to Magnplaners ( I still have this set today and still sound great). Hadley amp and preamp, Nac deck, kept the PL260 TT and went with a signet TK3A cartridge. I loved that system and still buy a lot of heavy vinyl to spin. But the hi fi days as we know it are done. I have been in a hi fi store that has DCM, MAC, Klipse, Mission, Yamaha etc in the speaker room. I still listen to my vinyl as much as I can. The memories and experiences I had with them be it a critical listening session or a date night with my then girlfriends still hits nerves. You are correct. Youth today can not afford the hi end in anything. Life has gotten grossly expensive. I work as a Financial Advisor and hold degrees in Economics and Physics. I have done well in life and it pains me to see other youth not be able to so. We as boomers must help where ever we can. My 2 kids launched well. But not all kids do. Let’s keep the hobby going and we need the youth to do so. Air buds and and I phone are not the same experience as listening to zeppelin on vinyl. Tangerine thru the magnapans. There is a god!
Modern chart music is so over produced and poor that there is no call for good gear. We would enjoy a guitar solo or sax solo picked out by our hi fi gear. Or a wonderful vocal. These components of music are absent in modern pop music, so the young have no need for good gear . It is just a wall of multitracked, computer enhanced mundanity. This is the central problem for sure.
Hearing ability as well as music appreciation also comes on a Bell curve. I also think most people have never heard good audio. Some of us really notice the differences and pay attention to subtleties, trying to get the most out of a listening session, many of us just enjoy listening to music as is. And then there are the weird category of folks who do not enjoy music at all, what is that all about?
Yeah it's really a persistent bad side of hifi... I've been into hifi over 15 years now, with a continuously improving audio system and learned that the snobbery never stops. No matter how fancy your gear is, there's always someone there to complain about the gear... especially related to records. From my 150 bucks Reloop RP-2000 to my 4k Technics SL-1200G with custom SME V tonearm: always someone who says it's cheap crap and I should get something better. Back when I started to get into hifi, I was 14, it really bugged me back then, but learned not to take those people seriously. It would be so much better if newcomers didn't need to learn that IMO...
This year I have acquired quite a bit of vintage gear that has been fully restored and sounds great. I realise though that to most people it means nothing and they would have no idea with what do with it. Not only hifi but music means far less to people these days, it's all sadly dying out.
Regardless of how old you are if you live in an apartment it's difficult to enjoy HI-Fi because you can only play it at low to moderate volume and then only at certain times of day or you will get complaints from your neighbors. Also if you are a younger person with a roommate it's even more difficult to get a chance to listen to music unless you use headphones. The fact that more and more people will not own their own homes and rent apartments instead will make high-priced HI-FI just not worth it.
Personally, I wouldn’t read too much into the decline of high end audio other than that interests and priorities change over generations. The Boomer years (1950s thru the 1970s) were a unique time for pop music… where it went from 2 minutes 30 of a fluffy, good beat, to a genre that became a bit more serious (well, at least it took itself more serious… to a fault some would say). The result was that fidelity of reproduction took on more importance which gave us the rise in better audio equipment, which led to the audio equipment “hobby” that some of us participated in. Then starting the ‘80s with the dawn of MTV, music became more about the visual… then there was the Walkman era with convenience and portability becoming more of a priority. Technology accelerated and gave us increased convenience with digital files, Ipods, streaming, and ultimately the do-it-all Smart Phone. This is what has evolved and what the newest generation wants. I have my collections of vintage audio… and I still enjoy it… will anyone want it in 20 or so years when I pass on?... I have no idea… but I’m guessing for most, it will be just so much Boomer junk.
When you love classical music, like I do, there's nothing better in a home than a high end stereo system like the one I have. I can put on a cd of, say Brahms, close my eyes, and picture an orchestra in front of me. I can hear a concerto, for instance, and hear what the composer really wanted anyone to hear when his/her composition gets played by top musicians on their expensive instruments. It really takes me away, into a sort of quasi-meditative state.
With all this great amount of used gear out there, you don't have to spend a fortune to get good sound. Sharing music is better than isolating yourself with IEMs.
This is a little off topic, but my experience has been that restoring vintage hifi equipment can be very expensive. I can assure you that the 40-50 year old equipment in pristine condition you pay top dollar for will end up costing you hundreds of dollars to have serviced and repaired. It will surely start to fail - with weak caps primarily failing. You will be taking it to a repair shop that will replace only the most obvious part failures (that will not check every capacitor) that will set you back $300-500. After some time, more component parts will fail - and it will be back to the repair ship for another $300-500 service. You can’t just replace a couple of failed component parts and think that’s it - problem solved. You need to completely recap a 40-50 year audio preamplifier or amplifier - even if is is NOS and sealed in its original boxes. This happened to me. Had I realized that buying perfect or mint condition does not mean it will provide you years of listening enjoyment. It will provide you with years of frustration and hundreds of dollars in repair cost I might not have tried to recreate my 1973 sound system (Marantz preamp and power amp with JBL speakers). I learned the hard and expensive way. If you don’t have the (test) equipment, the knowledge and the experience - you can’t work on this vintage hifi equipment yourself. You are fooling yourself if you think you repair them yourself unless you know what you are doing. Having said all of this, I love and enjoy listening to my true component hifi stereo system. But the only reason I can is because I was fortunate enough to find a guy to properly do the work on my equipment for a fraction of the cost of an audio service center. Just because I can appreciate a good system and understand how it should work and sound doesn’t mean I can repair my vintage hifi equipment. That is another level. I admire people who can.
I find that I use my iphone and airpods to listen to music more and more often. I'm a 63 yr old boomer. Yes, I have a Yamaha receiver/stereo, CD player and JBL speakers in my office for when I really want to enjoy fidelity, but the phone and the earbuds are just so convenient!!!!!!
When I was a young man in the 70's I shared the rent on an old house with 2 buddies. The place was half way to making it to being a ruin, but the rent was low and it had 3 bedrooms. We all drove cars that were wrecks, but our combined resources purchased enough stereo equipment to play the Grateful Dead at live levels. I'm still and audiophile (stereo nut according to my wife) and invested in a system the sounds pretty freaking good. My kids and their cousins (people in their 40's) have shown some interest in HiFi and have modest systems, but my grandchildren (people in their teens) have absolutly no interest. They listen to Spotify on ear buds. I agree, HiFi is proably dead.
I had to trash my parents possession after they passed. I want to clear my possessions so my son does not have to do so much work when I go . He could not care less about vintage electronics.
I was really into Hi-Fi in my teens, and somehow, my elder sister and her husband became very curious about the phenomenon. We went to a few high-end music stores, and when a HI-Fi convention came up, we went along. At the end, they had made a determination, based on their budget. From memory, they purchased a CEC turntable, Sansui amp, KEF bookshelf speakers and an Akai reel to reel player. This was well over 40 years ago, and my sister sold the Akai, for more than the entire purchase price, and all other components are in daily use. She still enjoys the sound of the system, so I feel they made a wise decision.
I see a the industry dying or at least shrinking. The performance gap is shrinking. Personal space is shrinking. Big cities are becoming more like EU where owning a large detached home is rare. If wealthy people are exposed to the sound illusion created by a great 2 channel stereo, the industry may continue. I liken it to the photography industry. Big expensive cameras have a role, but for most people their iPhone is enough. I think the vinyl fad among younger people may be combined with nostalgia for tube amps. This could keep a small market alive. But there will not be a market for $20k class D amps. I made an observation this week. Living in a big city in a neighborhood where people have the space and money to have the best audio systems, i drove down the street and saw 1 Ferrari, 3 Mclarens and a Porsche 911GT3 all on one street. I'll wage that while I had seen a couple million in unnecessary fun cars, I will bet not one house had an audiophile system. They all will have a gym, wine cellar, a dedicated room for theater and an elevator. But no 2 channel listening areas. And the youth in my city are struggling to buy a small condo where there is no room to have a speaker pulled out from the wall.
@@TheBoomerConsumer Generally yes they have a home theatre. It is a dedicated room with big reclining chairs often in a couple of rows like an actual screening room. It is big enough for family and friends to enjoy a movie together. Usually a dedicated space for a gym and another for wine storage and tastings. More often than not there is a room for a full sized pool table. Outside there is effectively a private beach club with the big pool, an outdoor kitchen and bar. So no shortage of space and dedicated spaces for personal and group activities. But I have only once seen a high end set of speakers and never an audio listening room. It's just not part of the mandatory set of luxury features.
On a visit to the USA in 1970's ( ! ) .. I met some folk that had installed a 36 foot BASS HORN in their basement .... the outlet was a BIG grille in their main room ... The effect was similar to a FULL concert hall 😝........ DAVE™🛑
Hello,I am a 66 year boomer,I paid for college, food and autos for my son. He's a engineer for G.M, my work is done .I moved in with wonderful woman who did not understand my audio hobby and complained ( nicely) about the music. So I checked into a high -end headphone system I spent about 10k an a system that I could afford, The sound is beyond Wonderfull, full and engagingly clear. I,m old school and believe you get what you pay for. I understand that young people do not have the funds to get this stuff, but the hobby is truly addictive with the stuff they have today
@@TheBoomerConsumer I forgot to add YES I understand their is no value to my audio stuff , audio is a one time purchase at retail. No one will ever give me what I pay , that is why it is so important to try and purchase right the first time
Economics: law of diminishing returns! I am 54, in our time we had either cassette (portable), vinyl (not portable) and that was it until the CD was affordable (around mid 90s in my country at least). Before that the hissing of the cassette was TORTURE, the vinyls were EXTREMELY delicate and NOT portable. At the same time buying records was quite expensive so we were FORCED to spend more to get better audio. Nowadays as you correctly pointed out most any consumer device picked with some caution sounds very very good compared to what we had. So that is what they choose to buy, It is as simple as that! Thanks for the video!
I am 60, was into high end audio in my 30s for about 10 years in Sydney, Australia, I use to owned Duntech, Proac, ML, Audio Research, CJ etc plus some other high end equipments, I subscribed to several high end audio magazines and read them religiously every months, bought many of the recommended audiophile records because of the reviews, and 1 day I realised I wasn't enjoying what I was constantly doing, that was only listen to snippet of sound from a record to demonstrate or satisfy myself of what the equipments can do, I also realised it's such a lonely hobby, that there is only such narrow sweet spot, that I had to vacate the seat if I want someone else to experience what I was hearing. But on several occasion, when I put on some music that I really like as background music while doing some other things, I had no expectation of sound quality, or any of the HIFI sound criterias such as soundstage, dynamic, imaging etc, because some of those music were not audiophile quality, some were even recorded in mono, but they happened to be some music I like, I was just humming along with the song played in the background, after a while, I realised I didn't need all of those equipments to enjoy my music, so I decided to sold all my gears, end up with just an all in one LOFI mini CD system sitting somewherer in the corner of the room that was out of the way, and upto this day, I don't miss anything. nowaday, I just use a decent bluetooth speaks streaming music, Oh, there is a bonus, I don't have to constantly worried about people breaking in, I was robbed once. Now I have several boxes of audiophile LPs sitting somewhere in a storage room that I am too lazy to deal with. 😆
Totally understand your comment i decided to turn away from hifi found i was just searching for the money i had spent in the sound quality it’s a road to nowhere to enjoying music
I feel sad for you guys. I’m 65 and have been into high-end audio for 35 years now. I’ve been a manufacturer of high-end speakers as well. I currently have only $25k into my current system and it sounds amazing! I have a dedicated music room and spend time every night listening. I’ve got the system dialed in and no longer listen to equipment but rather the music! I’ve spent a lot of time converting $$ into sound (audio alchemy) and now just enjoy it! It seems like you have lost your appreciation for well produced music or didn’t have a significant system. There’s still time 😊
I could have written the same thing, almost word for word. The only thing I would add is that I was a national trainer in the 80's-90's for Sony's high-end ES Hi-Fi equipment. Now I have no interest in any of that stuff. Good headphones and a quality streaming service let me experience better sound than I ever did with all that other stuff.
IMO audio / being an audiophile has always been a niche hobby even when i was a teen in the 90's sure people had small systems in their bedroom but mostly inexpensive all in one systems. Midfi to high end was always a smaller portion and i think thats still the same today. Most kids have their phone and maybe a bluetooth speaker and thats fine, some will no doubt slowly evolve into proper speakers and components over time. Sure companies will change w/ demand and some will make it and some wont but your gear isn't junk to the right person. just seems like your family member isn't the right person but maybe now you have planted a seed and it will grow. you should have let them experience their music on your system. thats also part of the problem, most kids are not exposed to good hifi systems so they dont know what they dont know....
That comment about the delta between cheap and expensive is spot on. I was reminded of this driving a rental low end car. My car squeeze for years has been a 2000 Buick GS, supercharged. My low end rental has features that were in the old Buick but not Chevies. The Buick, in turn, had features only available, for instance, the 1980 Cadillac I owned in the way back. Most young people suddenly into vinyl are using
Recently my good friend had a very nice 70's Marantz stereo receiver in excellent condition. One day he told me he gave it to goodwill. I almost slapped him. He said he wished he would have kept it after he found out how much they are selling for. The strange thing is he didn't offer it to me first..he knew I was a old school stereo fan. It was one of a kind, that's hard to find on ebay. 😢
back in 1975 my friend was studying electical engineering at Drexel. He built me a stereo speaker system where each component, base, mid-range and tweeter were in individually tuned cabinets - the tweeter was back to back ribbon style. When he completed it I took them over to Cherry Street Audio to have appraised. They cost me $400 per side and were appraised at $1,500 per side. I was happy and my friend was thrilled because they licensed his plans and built many replicas. I still have them in my livingroom. Only replaced the speaker covers. My biggest problem is that they require 100W+ per channel to drive them. Back in the day when Yes, Supertramp and the Who were pressing limited vinyl from masters - it sounded great... but now I live in an old home with neighbors within 20 feet on both sides and I just don't have the heart to plug them in again :(
I disagree with the 'strapped for cash' argument. Audio is a hobby, no different at its core than any other hobby. I was sensitive to reproduction at my earliest teenage years and I've always found that satisfaction comes from within, not from spending. Buy used. Build your own. Enjoy the music.
I have carefully reacquired the system I had in the early 1980’s. You’re right. It’s not something my younger family members are interested in. But that’s Okay. I love it and that’s all that matters. The same thing is happening with antique cars.
Please keep comments civil!
it’s not financial, my kids (in their 20s) can buy $5k-$10k hifi gear but the love their airpods and have never listened to my $15k stereo system.
sadly my kids will probably sell off my stuff at a garage sale
i’m 55 and got into highend hifi 2 years ago and and i am done upgrading.
Even i was never interested in heavy components over 45 lbs or run hot (and i’ve auditioned $1m stereo systems with wilson audio and Wisdom Audio speakers with burmeister amps).
i have:
Apple Music lossless
nad c298 amp
goldenear brx
2 subwoofers
eversolo dmpa6 + lps
denafrips pontus II 12th dac
denafrips iris 12th ddc
Cardas parsec cables
isoacoustics feet
Parasound 2100 preamp
ifi Supanova power cables
my video ua-cam.com/video/FISznh39zf4/v-deo.htmlsi=Ql0U1YP8bGOEeQan
I agree with much of what you say but would add:
- there's too much music now and it's not as special as it was in 60s, 70s
- so many more ways to entertain ones self
- the proliferation of digital music on damd makes music less special
- most music systems will become earbuds paired to phones or smart speakers
-People who are more serious about sound will focus on home theatre system for playing music and tv
-Consumer grade stuff is and will continue to be closer to high end for sound - especially with room correction software and ai
- luxury market still booms for everything though, so blue chip high end companies like mcintosh will go on, but lesser known obes won't.
The audio equipment you describe tie you to a specific room in your house. The car is not a good place to hear real hi-fi. So, tie yourself to one room and that gets you away from the active life the younger folks want. I used to build my own stereo and 4 channel equipment, now I build computers. Also, have you had a hearing exam, I needed hearing aids. Maybe you really don’t hear what you think you are hearing.
Just because I'm not selling mine to ya, doesn't make it junk 😂
... hell, i can't even move it anymore, ow, my back
Very happy to see this video and have a thought . I have stereo speakers but not high engine like yours . I’m going to find some vintage audio stereo and record store i could put in
my trust to give to that store .If not one near close to
my end ask to put add in the internet Craigs list or similar .
On youtube people that help others with clutter say nobody wants your stuff . Then why almost everything I have is on ebay for sale ?
Boomers defined themselves by the music we listened to. Music was sacred to us. That attitude has not been carried over to the present generation, which views music as incidental, ephemeral and disposable. That's why they don't care about the quality of music reproduction.
Or, the quality of music….to me “rap music” has very poor lyrics, monotonous “melody,” and should be called something other than music. 🤔 🤷🏻♂️
"incidental, ephemeral and disposable" I love it!
Don't forget Gen X, who produced the last great Rock genre called Grunge. Also, Jungle, Drum N Bass, early Dubstep, Death Metal and 90's Rap are all part of Gen X culture.
When we were wise in our own eyes, as children, discussing music, my Dad sat us down and made us listen to Caruso. We understood immediately, Babylon the Great is fallen.
@@hectormata449 you never listened to good rap music then. what you described sounds a lot like "pop" music today.
$1 earbuds are poetic justice for the "music" being mass produced these days. Garbage in, garbage out and garbage equipment. It all fits together very nicely.
I’m surprised more people have t made this obvious, good point!
I thought an ear bud was a friend, who listens to my problems at the bar.
Earbuds are terrible, I prefer the full speaker sound but the family and neighbours do not, when Boomers go the World will have bigger problems but there will always be quality in certain fields, at a premium of course, and "music" will remain one of those fields, but getting quality music and systems might be more of an adventure rather than a shopping chore with the raft of systems available today most of questionable quality, I have recently purchased, for convenience, two Soundcore Motion X600 50 watt Bluetooth speakers for portability they have TWS (stereo) capability and I can put them where I can get some decent sound from my phone but it lacks separation and depth I can tweak the Software EQ so that might make a slight improvement, it seems to work well at present and can be taken into the garden as it is waterproof, so overall for £220 (For my early Xmas present) for two "it's not bad" as we say in the UK as life is full of compromises on a low pensioners budget and it's £10 a month on PayPal extended credit and if I croak it I won't have to pay the balance ( I know it's not really funny, but it is!)!?!
Even with the worst compressed music service aka Spofify, you can noticed the difference from Dollar Store earbuds with decent headphones in a huge way.
So, I completely disagree.
I also have to remind people that CDs are also compressed audio files as well. I think people tend to forget this.
Which services like Tidal, have so much higher bit rate audio files than CDs ever had.
Then there are other music services that matches CD quality audio bit rate.
Yes, there is no match to well maintained records on a well maintained high end record player and good recording on Reel-2-Reel.
Yet, most the world nowadays would not care to go at that level.
@jaguarxta
I drove by the Tidal headquarters one day, and several of their employees acknowledged me with a Tidal wave.
I am 60 and recently started getting rid of a lot of "stuff". Never could afford a house and have been a lifelong renter. Not having a place I could safely keep stuff permanently for fear of a rent increase forcing me to move. So I have been getting rid of what little I have, trying to get it down to just the essentials. With a smartphone, a ebook, and my pc I can have an unlimited amount of movies, books, music and games at my command. Streaming services let me have access to everything. It hurt to throw out my movies, cd's, and books, but if I am forced to move again, everything I own will now fit in my car. Once I am dead nobody will care about me or those things I cherished and we can't take anything with us from this life.
Very true, the stuff we think is valuable really isn't.
@@pizza4me298 The stuff we think is worth something, is not true for 99.9% of the population that surrounds us. That is OK. It was worth something to us. Remember the things we own, eventually start owning us. At some point, It is wise to limit possessions as much as possible. That is easier to do in the days of digital medial (in the cloud) and personal audio (AirPods) and laptops or tablets to access content we love. We just need a safe space to lay our heads and some food in our bellies.
I agree with that comment 100%. I'm 66 retired in the Philippines with a storage unit full of stuff in the US. I'm going back next year to sell it all off or give it away. I live in a small by US standards townhome but it's comfortable and it's paid for, taxes only costing $40 a year. It's liberating getting rid of stuff.
My dad always said, we spend the first half of our life acquiring things and the second half getting rid of it all. He rented out his house in Texas and moved to San Diego where he lived on a sailboat for the rest of his life. I think it added years to his life as he was much more active.
@@telcobilly More fun in the PH ;) Another factor in SE Asia is that due to the tropical climate everything rots. Books, leather (why people love plastic), natural fibers, everything. In fact I don't take high-end binoculars over there since fungus will actually grow on the lens inside the case, requiring tedious cleaning.
…the only way I could afford to buy houses was by enlisting in the military at an early age, being honorably discharged, and using my earned GI Bill mortgage program benefit…
Young people can’t afford to rent or buy their own home. There is no way they will buy high quality gear if there is nowhere permanent to put it and use it.
This is a large part of the problem. Many young people that feel they are shut out of the housing market don't want to spend money on a big stereo system, when they might not have room for it in the next rented home they move into.
@@alexjenner1108you dont always have to buy the most sought after expensive gear ive some middle of the road stuff that some of that i got not working and repaired maybe some of the younger gen who imto electronics could go down that route and as for space most stackers take up the space of a up right fridge freezer with a speaker on each side
Why have a high output , high headroom system if you live in an apartment with neighbors . However, if you have your own place where you can rock the house, forget hifi . The idea of music playback is to replicate the live or studio recording. The way i hear it, why not use the same equipment as at a show. 2 dbl 18 subs and 2 top 3way . Jbl vertec always used top quality drivers and can be purchased cheaper than the wimpy hifi shiny stuff
This. I have a pretty awesome set up, but unfortunately live in a studio apartment with various neighbors. I can't even listen to it......someday.
No home? So what? My friend has a good system in his apartment and plays it as loud as he wants to. And every apartment I've ever lived in (except for my first apartment, a small studio) had at least a decent 2-channel stereo, even with my Dad's old jumbo solid wood speakers.
There has also been a social shift. Hi-Fi was not an isolationist hobby. At least not from my experience in sales and my personal life. Getting new gear, and music was a shared experience. So many great memories during the 70's listening to music with friends. Often in groups. Airpods and cell phones are not a shared experience. We are retreating socially. It's not healthy. Hi-Fi is a hobby, but it was also a way of life.
Well. When the youth gets on their own and can afford it. They will get their first large TV.
Then get either a Home Theater or Soundbar system.
That is a start in that direction.
No different from my time going from Boom Boxes and Sony Walkman to our first stereo and TV or Home Theater.
I think people tend to forget about that part.
I agree, there's something special about listening to music together.
That's most likely why smart speakers are in demand, for that shared experience.
When someone got a new album in the 1970s the guy with the best HI-FI system had lots of company. People took their favorite or latest vynal to friends homes to share. The social aspects of sharing recordings was a significant part of our social life in the 60s, 70s and 80s. And let's not forget about album art. Sometimes the artistry on the jacket was better than the contents,
@@ivanvarykino8202 The music industry has changed significantly. There is very little money left in it compared to what once was. I can see positives and negatives in that, as I think the industry affected many lives negatively as well as making a lot of people very wealthy before .mp3 . I think the devices we use for enjoying the music have changed in a similar way.
We used to gather at someone’s home on a Friday night and sit there listening to our records - for hours. When you first got a decent job, a stereo system was up there with a decent car as the number one and number two priority.
Yes, i remember listening to records in a basement wirh my friends. We found an electronics store on Canal Street that was selling speakers for $50/pair. Everybody bought a pair, at least 6 or 7 of us. They had 16" woofers with a mid-range and a tweeter in a nicely finished box and matched up great with whatever systems we had. Then, i got a job out of high school. Got my own place a 3 years later and in less than a year after that went to Crazy Eddie with a wad of cash and matched up a 50 watt per channel Hitachi receiver ($283) with a beautiful pair of speakers ($100 each) and Technics turntable. So, yes, my evolution was identical to yours.
after 4 years USAF, I went to college. in my 2nd year i was able to buy a Pioneer SX-626 Receiver and a pair of Altec 891a speakers. I was in heaven, even with only having FM radio to listen to. Two years later, I bought a Dual 1219 turntable . All that is gone now, replaced with a multitude of other components over the years and today I'm down to a Technics SA-EX410 receiver, a pair of JBL L96 speakers, and Panasonic DVD-RV31DVD/CD player which should last me the rest of my life. I should buy a used cassette player cause I have about a hundred of cassette tapes I'm holding on to.
The difference today is that there's many more forms of endless digital entertainment. Back in the day, we had 13 channels to watch on TV and the FM radio ,so having a stereo system along with a vinyl/CD/cassette collection was a must for most homes . Music used to be a big thing. People used to flock music stores in anticipation to pick up a new release album . Nowadays ,digital streaming has made music a dime a dozen form of entertainment
@@pcollenyt3683
No turntable? Did you get rid of your vinyl to pair down?
Using that logic, we might as well not bother buying a house or planting a garden-because, you know, when we die, they’ll be irrelevant. Let’s take it a step further: why form relationships? We’ll all die someday, so what's the point in connecting with people? Why even enjoy life at all? Forget trips, hobbies, or meaningful experiences-after all, the neurons that store our memories are destined to rot anyway. Hooray for nihilism!
But here's the thing: life is finite, and that’s precisely why we should embrace the things we love, no matter how "irrelevant" they may seem to others. For you, it’s hi-fi systems. For someone else, it might be art, books, or traveling. These pursuits give us joy, connection, and identity. Isn’t that what makes life worth living?
Sure, younger generations may have a different approach to music-minimalistic, portable, and convenience-driven. But dismissing something as “junk” simply because it doesn’t fit into their worldview? That’s missing the beauty of human diversity. Every passion, from vintage audio gear to cracked-screen Spotify playlists, tells a story.
So let’s enjoy our “junk” unapologetically. Life’s too short to waste time justifying what brings us happiness to people who don’t understand it. After all, even if it all ends one day, wouldn’t it be better to leave behind a legacy of joy rather than a landfill of regret?
I applaud your wisdom.
Great comment!
I’m 64 . I’m just starting to get into vintage hi fi equipment 😊
I’ve always enjoyed my stuff !
Some People in my life don’t understand me and my joy in vintage Chainsaws collecting, trading, fixing, selling, and the hunt for the next one. If you are able … enjoy as many things as possible while you’re alive !
Cheers from Vancouver Canada 🍻
It isn’t really this, it’s that technology makes the old ways obsolete for most people. The world has moved on and spending big money on hifi isn’t part of the new world. Most people don’t want or need it and most people include some who used to buy hifi equipment. It’s not just hifi either.
The computer industry has changed too. People used to spend time, money and effort on their home computer. Now they seen a few hundred bucks on a laptop that does the job. After three years buy another one. Subscribe to cloud services and everything will transfer across.
@@stevendefehr4393 Ok, you lost me at chainsaws. 😆
well put
I'm 27 years old and I love collecting and repairing vintage audio gear I've got an entire shelf full of monster receivers from the late 70's along with cassette, vinyl, reel-to-reel, CD basically all the mainstream formats along with a wiim streamer. you cannot beat the pure analog sound. all these Bluetooth speakers etc to me just seem to have an over "engineered" sound
I am so glad to hear this! I love those big old receivers.
This is from a 64 year old O.G. Black man and music loving audiophile,(my full title!🤣). You're a great man and are helping to keep hi-fi alive. Keep up your outstanding work!👍👍💪💪
One more that saved his soul ..Welcome brother..Alleluia ... WIFI is not HIFI .,.. i invented this
@@williamcampbell3868 thanks just picked up a sanyo jcx-2900 to repair and add to my collection.
@@ladronsiman1471 I like that saying and I'm gunna start using it
I'm 67 years old and just retired. I stumbled upon some videos talking about vintage stereos. it bought back a lot of memories about listening to the radio, 8-track and cassettes in my cars.. I did my research and bought a Pioneer SX-650 and some new Klipsch speakers. I'm home and really starting to enjoy quality music sound. I've been going to thrift stores and garage sales and finding music I like. It gets me out of the house.
That is a great way to spend your retirement!
I’m 67 and have moderate hearing loss. I need a graphic equalizer that I can load an audiogram to.
Doing the same thing - I’m one year younger 66 but looking to retire next year - Really enjoying building a system like I did back in 1975 :)
Same, but it all came together for me (again) in 2020. I revived our old Technics turntable, but had nothing to play a record on....but I did have a sound bar. Bought a cheap preamp off of Amazon and pulled a box of records out that hadn't been opened since we moved 20+ years before. I had forgotten what it was like to sit and listen to a whole album. I realized that that was a hole in my life I needed to fill. I have the SX-1050 now, and a pair of ESS AMT-1 speakers that I stole for $200 off Craigslist. And a LOT more albums lol.
The good news is one of my kids is beginning to get into it, and has made his demands clear that when I kick the stereo goes to him lol.
@@Krunch2020 You should be able to manually adjust a 15 or 20 channel EQ to your audiogram. If you have age related Sensorineural hearing loss it will usually be the upper frequencies that are missing. Some frequencies may be lost forever even with hearing instruments. Ask your audiologist to use one of your programs for music and keep the compression at minimum so that bass sounds don’t shut down the mids and highs.
Many young people have never heard music reproduced with high fidelity. They listen to music with airpods.
Yes and sadly that is big part of the problem
Have you heard any mainstream music? You really don't need high fidelity systems to listen to the autotuned trash.
@@bobr9605 I've tried commenting yesterday, but either youtube or @TheBoomeConsumer censored me (and not quite sure why)... I'll try again, and if it does not get through, I fold to yt c-o-m-m-u-n-i-s-t tendencies 😂
If we talk about generational gap, most of mainstream music today really don't require strong audio setup. If you want to listen to autouned music with simple matrices and no real instruments behind, there's not much high fidelity to begin with to enjoy something like that... You want it to be loud and for base to pump... But that's about it. That can easily be achieved with a plastic boombox with very cheap class D amps.
To appreciate high-def formats and gear, you really need to tune your music taste to begin with. If you want to listen to something like November Rain, Bohemian Rhapsody or any classical piece, of course you want a strong sound stage and all the details that only hi-fi equipment can offer.
@@TheBoomerConsumer not really. There's many factors at play, but the most important one by far that ppl will always trade quality for convenience.
@@bobr9605lol hifi doesn't need to be expensive, i get my chifi gears they sound awesome 😎
There are more distractions for young people today, when I was growing up it was a record player, a TV or the cinema, no iphones, no tablets, no computers, fewer distractions.
I would add books.
The vinyl disc had a finite number of plays, depending on your turntable/cartridge/stylus arrangement, before the recording would begin to deteriorate. Therefore, one engaged in active listening rather than playing it as background noise to fill the silence. I don't like background music if I am working because my mind wants to stop working and listen. Or, as happens more and more often, the "ticky-ticky-ticky-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t clank" crap that passes as music is horrifically irritating.
Ditto...
yes , it was the main source of entertainment at home !
That's one of the reasons there are hardly any kids playing on the streets anymore.
I think you’re pretty much on point here. I am over 60, the high end equipment was always lost on me. I could never hear the difference between good and really great systems and the cost of these systems rose faster than the quality. Your point about the snobbery is spot on. Wine snobs, beer snobs, hi-fi snobs, and snobs in most areas that run on personal preferences, experiences, and budget ruin it for everyone. I think there are many things that will not survive to the next generation: antique furniture, china sets, solid silver cutlery, dining rooms, camera equipment, etc., and high end audio gear is on that list. As for those who dunk on younger people spending money on phones don’t seem to understand that the phone is a substitute for thousands of dollars of older gear: computer, mail, text, telephone, camera, movie camera, television, books, magazines, newspaper, simple stereo system, records, typewriter, and the list goes on. It replaces roomfuls of stuff that were bought and stored. Space is expensive. Note that the technology is disappearing. The TV, stereo, bookshelf, magazine rack were all separate items. These have disappeared the cloud servers and the phone. It once was that you could walk into a house, see the newspapers, magazines, books, and records and given what they had you learned something about the people there. The absence of such stuff was instructive, too. Now, that’s almost all gone. Nostalgia is a trap and thinking the old times were better is a trap, too. The old days weren’t that good and it’s easy to forget the bad times. Things change, new things arise and old things fade away. What is considered valuable and useful changes, too. If it’s valuable to you, great, that doesn’t mean it’s valuable to some else.
Good points. You need more thumbs up. Times have changed.
Excellent comment.
Because it's old doesn't mean it's always valuable. Nostalgia factors into perceived value too. Electronics has always had a very steep depreciation. The components just tend to degrade with time from heat and current. Some items are attractively styled and hold there value more. Plus ultimately you just can't keep everything you've bought.
PS I'll add that I think it's amazing what they've packed into modern phones, very useful and convenient.
Well said.
People mainly buy 'high-end' things to show off and talk about. If they are not considered interesting by the people you want to impress, they don't have very high value. In that way, It seems everything becomes obsolete some time. Most phenomenons don't live for too many generations of humanity.
My daughter and I went and seen the band Sleep token which we both enjoy. She lit up like a tree with all the emotions.
A few months later I was jamming on my living room sound system which was a Yamaha RX-v870, a bit newer, but its no slouch, and my Realistic Mach Ones which were recently restored with the Tier 1 crossover upgrade. Streaming on a old school system. Sleep Token came on and my daughter ran to the living room, sat beside me with that same look. When that bass hit, she was stunned! She looked at me and said, it sounds just like the concert. That night we listened to a variety of music and I even let her choose hers and play with the sound settings of the RX-V870. I think its up to us as hobbyists and enthusiasts if we want this equipment to be here long after we are gone. introduce this younger generation and let them experience our systems. Let them press buttons and turn knobs, let them listen to their music on our equipment. Allow them to hear it and feel it the way we did. Let that Hifi bug bite them. Who knows? May lead to more future techs to service this old stuff. May even start a new war of the stereos creating and building amps through our old school sound with their modern streaming devices.As you have mentioned! stop the bashing and shaming! If someone who is even slightly interested, welcome them and answer questions accordingly. Give them advice when they need it.
Your every word matched my thought today and my experience from yesteryear. I'm 71 & hearing loss, a musician at 9, and Acoustic Guitar 66 years. Recording engineering in college, worked in High-Fi sales in my mid 20s. I just finished working for an employer, it was a blessing, my age. He sold and consulted on music sales internationally, mostly collectable vinyl. He had professionally restored and reconditioned home audio systems in plentiful supply for sale. Now retired, there is nothing near me to replace him. HE was a part of my town's culture and history.
My answer to you is- "Modeling" is all we can do. We must become evangelists and mentors to future audiophiles. And keep 'em humble and sharing like us. About my hearing... the better quality sound in the room, headphones, car etc. the better is the experience for this old deaf guy.
Long Live High Fidelity Music! Sam Hatman
1000%. Model the behaviour you want to instill. Nailed it.
This is reminiscent of what is happening with camera equipment. Most younger folks prefer to use their phones for taking photographs, and the volume of camera equipment sold by companies like Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Canon and others has dropped significantly. It doesn't surprise me that a similar thing would happen with high fidelity equipment. I've always loved music. When I started buying hifi equipment I was in the Army earning about $350 a month (1970s) so there wasn't a lot of money to spend on gear. Same with photography. But as I got older and had a good career I could afford to spend more on hifi and photo gear. I do hope that there will always be enough people interested in music, with a decent budget, so that these great companies can survive. Good video Bruce.
This is from a 64 year old Black man and music loving audiophile,( my full title! 🤣). Yes! the same applies to the photo hobby. Most can definitely forget about Leica, Hasselblad and Lumix. Man, talk about through the roof!!
Yep, the photography folks are already hurting. Thing is, the quality of a photo from a more traditional set-up (even digital) is superior to whatever you shot on your phone. But, it seems, good enough is good enough these days.
I gotta think you bought that stereo in the 70s overseas. Those audio shops were frigging AMAZING back then! I wish I still had the Pioneer system I bought in Germany.
@@oldtop4682 Yeah - the Audio/Photo Shops the Military ran in German had everything, and at greatly reduced prices. Most of my Army buddies had great stereo Systems (as did I.)
Yes that’s true. I still have my first and second film cameras, and my last digital camera. All unused in a drawer now. I use my iPhone.
@@oldtop4682 The physical resolution of the group of reflective silver microparticles on a frame 35 mm film is about 3200 dots per inch while a modern RGB CMOS sensor can exceed 12,000 dots per inch depending upon the manufacturer.
In fact, the CMOS sensor in the Smartphone is 2x to 4x the resolution of film giving QUALITATIVELY and OBJECTIVELY BETTER RGB pixel resolution than film!
Comparing the film grain against discrete RGB pixels on a CMOS sensor is a misnomer! The CMOS sensor is OBJECTIVELY cleaner, less-noisy and more colour-intense than the 35 mm film frame!
V
The problem is not the HiFi. It is also not the older generation. The problem is that modern music is just not worth listening to on anything better than a blue tooth speaker.
I'm a baby boomer with a hifi system and my biggest problem is finding new source material that's enjoyable. We need a Renaissance In music.
@@vincentmollica2982 Sorry but I think that you are very lost. Every year if you look very good you can find artist that make incredible music. The issue is those artist are very niche not like it was before that you have popular artist. Make a your duties and can find diamond in the mood. For me this an example ua-cam.com/video/s3bSgz8EXaI/v-deo.html
Oh for cryin' out loud! Every generation has its own music that future generations don't relate to. Open your mind and open your ears.
I guess it might depend on the type of music that you are looking for. But, I whole heartedly disagree with you when it comes to rock/ hard rock and metal. There is so much new stuff being released all the time, I can't keep up. Hell, some of my favorite albums of all time .... OF ALL TIME...have been released is just the past few years.
@@uwhanna Trigger happy?
When we die, most of our possessions are junk. Just look at your local classifieds...
too troo
Tell me about it.
I have done well to middle down my things but looking at my parents and my Aunt and uncle and all the sh#$ they have. Its incredible.
True, regardless of the original value, the process of selling anything used is often not worthwhile. You just post a low price for someone to take it off your hands before you have to pay someone to dispose of it.
@pcatful well. Yeah. Like household goods but when we are talking about real assets it's different.
Oddly, and I may be the exception to the rule, when my father passed, most of my newer workshop tools got bundled away, and his collection of up to 50 years old, now take pride of place on the walls and benches. Yes, different items, but the concept is there.
I do not care what my devices, records, instruments, cars or whatever will be worth when I die. It is my life they were bought to bring joy to, not the life of some people in the future. Some things I own are now worth much more than when they were new, some others are worth less. But the things themselves have stayed exactly the same.
That is an excellent way of looking at things.
I'm in my 60s and pretty much all of my audio gear is from the '70s, from my setup in my living room to the system in my shop and also in my office. When I'm on my shop floor I usually run the audio from a computer tied into the receiver, but at times I'll throw in a CD. Just yesterday I was in my office listening to some cassettes that I recorded onto Maxell UDXL tapes almost 40 years ago and they still sounded great after all those years. I still run the turntable that I bought new in the early '80s in the living room, and have all my vinyl I purchased through the 70s and '80s.
I think the younger generations today don't have the patience to sit and just listen to music anymore, having been bombarded with constant stimulations their whole lives with smart phones and computers. They will never know the joy of coming home with a new LP, carefully putting it onto the turntable and just sitting back to listen with a clear head and no distractions.
I've been explaining to my 17-year-old son what listening to music was like decades back: You'd gather at the house of a friend with a decent-to-excellent sound system (pre-amp, amp, belt-driven turntable, speaker system specialized by tonal range), find the best spot in the room for sound quality, and listen to albums together. He was most fascinated to learn that albums were actually made for sedentary, engaged listening, preferably on just such a system setup. Who knows? Maybe these defunct retail spaces could turn into listening rooms. I'd love to see my kid's face the first time he hearts "Dark Side of the Moon" on a premium sound system.
I mourn the loss of album oriented music. It’s all singles now.
When I was a kid ~1975 we used to go my neighbors house and listen to dark side of the moon bc he had the best stereo around with wide spaced giant speakers, that’s when I got the bug to play guitar. That album just launched my imagination.
B&W 803s paired up with a Class A amp
The question is, did you actually play something on one of your hifi systems? Like, pick his favorite song from Spotify, and play it through a system that can really bring out the sound in a way he's never heard before. That's what gave me the bug, so many years ago. I had been listening to boomboxes and walkmans and other stuff and went to a friend's house with a sweet system and heard proper separation and clarity and BASS!! Yeah, once you hear music on a good system, it's hard to go back to those airpods and phone speakers...
Yes I did, He was impressed but thought his earbuds and phone were good enough at this time.
Yes! Separation, clarity, bass , personal custom settings, room effect, freedom from enclosure from earbuds!🙂👌🎶☕
Gen Z complain of the high costs of living but have no issues spending thousands on smartphones, tattoos, etc. Thats were their priorities lie. The music they listen to is perfectly well served by dollar store earphones plugged into low bit rate streams.
Most listen to music on their smartphones
It's why the 4 minute often autotuned songs have eclipsed the maticulously written & recorded concept albums.
On your other point, there's no incentive for younger lower paid workers outside of the public SECTOR here in UK 🇬🇧now to have savings above 3k.
Buying a home is totally out of reach & rental housing & other benefits are means tested,
So many spend disposible income on hobbies such as visiting theme parks here, in Europe & in USA 🎢
how can you blame them? For $1000-2000 you get a gadget that covers everything - phone, computer, camera, video recorder, stereo system, clock, alarm, etc. And you can carry it with you anywhere. In the old days you would have to buy every system separately and together, and it would cost you way more that $2000.
It's all relative, and I'm not particularly sympathetic to Gen Z on many things, but as a Gen X kid I've watched my dollars lose their value over the past few decades. 1,000 dollars in 2024 money is not the same as a 1,000 dollars in 1990 or 2000 money. These younger people have very legitimate gripes, the same as we Gen X types did... boomers have all the wealth accumulated to themselves and they're hanging on to it to the very last minute of their existence, and that has a profound effect on younger generations being able to buy houses or start families.
Smartphone is a necessity like landline phones were a necessity at your times.
You can not blame someone for spending money on technology that is necessity in the modern age.
Especially when we are talking about vintage audio systems for our own pleasure.
I can hear you thinking right now "They do not need to spend a grand on a Smartphone". When they can go for a $250 cheap Smartphone".
Let me put it this way:
Remember the money you spent on photo camera, film, film processing, ordering prints, your video recorder camera, the film or cassettes you bought, your landline tape answering machine, the tapes for your answering machine, and so much more that Smartphone replaces?
Now take that cost amount into November 2024 inflation. How much would that cost if they were around in 2024?
Meaning that the Smartphone is not just a "Phone". It is a photo camera, with your home printer is a photo prints producer, video recorder, mini mobile computer, data communicator, and so much more. I mean so much more than technology was there for the average user back in the day.
Which means quality matters. That is why they are not buying a $250 cheap Smartphone. And why they are spending a grand on a Smartphone.
Tattoos? Believe me. There are so much less Gen Z getting tattoos than my Gen X did.
Even with the worst compressed music service aka Spofify, you can noticed the difference from Dollar Store earbuds with decent headphones in a huge way.
So, I completely disagree at that point.
I also have to remind you that CDs are also compressed audio files as well. I think people tend to forget this.
Which services like Tidal, have so much higher bit rate audio files than CDs ever had.
Then there are other music services that matches CD quality audio bit rate.
I pride myself in mixing old with new.Using vintage amplifiers and speakers coupled with modern Streamers and DACs. I think this combining of old and new will secure a place for a lot of vintage audio equipment as it has for me
I have two kids, now 18 and 20. My elder “got it” from the beginning and although typical for the generation in terms of Spotify et al, is not a dollar store earbud user but uses high quality headphones. Often when they discovered a new artist or song, they’d ask to hear it on my system as soon as possible.
My second one was very sniffy about the whole thing - a gamer, used to headphones all the time, and not picky. Until one night she challenged me on what it was all about, and why was there tens of thousands of dollars tied up in hifi. For her, I asked her to name a favourite game soundtrack - because games these days have soundtracks as good as movies in our time - and we played that. The light bulb went on and we spent another two hours working through other games and then some favourite music.
Exposure to good audio is the key, as it always has been. It’s just harder to sit today’s younger generation down and show them. That said vinyl is on a massive resurgence among 20 somethings and they will want gear on which to play it. It’s inherently not portable and therefore the earbuds will have to be removed for that.
Problem is, even the kids who do buy vinyl records have no idea how good it can sound. I fear the vinyl resurgence is just a faddy trend, and will soon die out when they realise that their overpriced lps are just digital anyway.
This comes under the category “Nobody wants your crap.” Whether it is high quality expensive leather furniture, high quality artwork, high quality Persian Rugs, or high quality audio gear. Your kids don’t care about it, and don’t have a house big enough to hold it. Most of it will end up in the dumpster or the whole contents of the house be sold to the highest bidder for a few bucks. I have high end audio and enjoy it now… if it ends up in the land fill too bad. I got my enjoyment and too bad for the world
This is true. Seen some for sale 7.50 cents each at a store that buys out estates. I remember when a decent Yamaha receiver was $500 . Now it's $7.50 cents. Stack of equipment just gathering dust. Shoppers just walk by it. No interest
Some of the things you mention do have value afterwards, but electronics not so much unless it's a 70's "vintage" receiver which people are foaming at the mouth over on eBay, I think moreso for looks & nostalgia, than sound quality imho. Perhaps a person can leave a list/picture of what they feel has real value just to help out their survivors dealing with an estate. The rest can go to recycling or thrift shops (who are getting more savvy about the valuations). Cheers
@ Thanks for your insight. Yes there is a limited market for some high end things. That involves work on the part of the person that will be selling these valuable items. Unless there is a relative with free time on their hands and the desire to track down buyers for specific items, that won’t be happening in the vast majority of cases. I have no desire to sell these things as they are “dear friends” and I will enjoy them until I pass away. Hopefully in 10-15 years if I have the average life expectancy. Personally I would rather give stuff away to “deserving” people who would appreciate it. Let’s see what happens in the future. Thanks again for the idea of leaving a list of things I think is valuable.
@@itsallminor6133 Yes a whole different mind set for those at an estate sale or garage sale. I have had garage sales where no matter what the item is listed at, they want to pay a dollar… then get mad when you don’t have a bag to put it in. 🤣
I enjoy owning "Crap" that nobody wants. While everyone around me frets and worries about their houses being broken into and robbed, I enjoy stuff that's built to last so I can save my money to put towards things like carefree vacations. If it ends up in a dumpster after I'm dead, that's a loss for the future generation; it won't bother me at all because I'll be dead.
Hi-end audio is for reproducing acoustic music - classical symphonic and chamber music, jazz, acoustic rock, voices, etc. Guess what Gen Z listens to? It ainʻt any of that stuff. Their music sounds fine on ear buds. People who appreciate classical, jazz and acoustic music in general are often people play and perform that music. They played an instrument in school band or orchestra. With the school systems no longer supporting music programs, Gen Z isnʻt learning to play instruments or listen to acoustic music. Gen Z is listening to pop and hip-hop, neither form requires quality reproduction.
That's it, in a nutshell. Mass produced music was never intended to be played back on high resolution systems.
Sad, but true.
Agree in principle, but I've also seen them get it when they hear music in a room on nice equipment (the kind of music you mentioned). It's like they're really hearing music for the first time. My son is 17, and we were listening to an album from the seventies. He said at one point: "Where did they find so many incredible musicians?" I've found that a lot of kids are actually very curious about what our music was like and really respond when they hear it for the first time, especially on good gear (which it was recorded for).
Rubbish
Ten years ago, I was running my telescope at an astronomy event. I was showing Saturn to guests. I will never forget the teenager who stopped briefly to hold up his smart phone and say, "I don't need to look through a telescope. I can see Saturn anytime I want on my phone." Smart phones have invaded all categories of hobbies. Sad.
I'll be 72 in a few months. My wife has a huge reflector telescope she paid over $1000 for. When she tries to get me to go out in the cold at night I have told her the same thing. I can see better inages on the internet. However, I am a lifelong audiophile. It's just a matter what your priorities are.
I've been an amateur astronomer for 55 years and use high end refractors. A picture of Saturn isn't the same as seeing it at the eyepiece. In fact, seeing the universe in the eyepiece is so much better. I think if you see it for yourself you'd agree. Don't get me wrong, pictures are nice but being out under the stars is so much better. BTW, I still love and use my audio system from the mid 80's. Works great!
All of these hobbies are vanities, and as amateurs we are just dilettantes. I admit this as a boomer who spent way too much money over the years on audio gear and astrophotography systems.
His loss, IMO. I remember one early evening in late 1973 looking at Jupiter and Mars through the school's telescope and seeing the Galilean moons (and Mars's moons too, Phobos and Deimos) - it was an experience I'll never forget.
Except they're not seeing Saturn, they're seeing a picture of Saturn.
The only gear that is useless junk is the gear you never use.
I think the biggest problem is that to appreciate hi-fi audio you have to sit still and listen. No one does that anymore. Kids esp are always doing 2 things at once. Even parents can't really enjoy music if they're also cooking, cleaning, etc.
Ummm... Except you forgot to mention that kids, and sadly even some "adults" will permanently make imprints on chairs due to playing the latest silly video game for many hours a day.
@@joeblowe7545 Great point. However, playing games is much more engaging to many, compared to sitting and listening to music. You are watching, listening and reacting. I am not defending them as I love music and have always been an audiophile. But just saying to appreciate audio quality you have to focus on the music and not also be doing something else. The world has become multitask-centric.
I remember the days of bong hits in Ritchie's or Pat's basement listening for hours to Hawkwind, The Who, Talking Heads, Zappa, Patti Smith, Pink Floyd, Ultravox, XTC, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, The Damned, Rush, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Gary Numan, Peter Gabriel and many other artists. Music was a defining part of one's life back then.
Same here! Big Aerosmith and BTO fan here
@@TheBoomerConsumer Same!
I’m 72 years old and remember the golden age of hifi in the 70’s and 80’s. The quality isn’t as important as the accessibility to the music.
I’m more than willing to give up some quality to be able to access the music I want anywhere, anytime.
That being said, I still play my Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul through a tube amp. Go figure.
I’m 67. I also play my Strat and Gibson Les Paul through a tube amp. All you need are those two guitars! As a boy during the 1960s, I remember my dad’s 1950s hi-fi record player with tubes. Smelled and sounded great!
Here here. I'm more of an SG/tele guy. Five Watt world has an all you need guitar presentation on UA-cam. Five guitar you really need this would include an ES as well. Give me music over tv. Television is restrictive being planted there helplessly in front of the picture screen.
@@jamespell8091ES 330 TD or Epiphone Casino! Or ES 335-TD.
I hit the thrift shops to find things to flip on online auction houses. A common thrift item found is high end audio gear. Receivers which would have once cost me 3 months pay now sell for , at most , $29.99. Also in antique shops, I'll find Marantz amps for $159. As a 20 something I used to lust over this stuff, now the finest dream electronics of my youth are available for pocket change.
I get great stuff at Goodwill for dirt cheap sometimes.
Fun to read these comments (from mostly the older generation like me).
I spotted a funny comic drawing recently relating to high end gear. This guys looking at his mates turntable and asked ‘What attracted you to vinyl??’
2 things he replied…..the expense, and the inconvenience…Enough said.
Here's were I think Schiit Audio is doing a really smart thing by producing high quality desk top gear that exposes consumers to the potential of high quality sound at very reasonable prices. Eventually it paves the way for those consumers to upgrade over time. Their efforts should be noted, IMHO.
Yes, they make great stuff!
Yes, they make great stuff!
There is also cost and convenience. Many of us had hi-fi systems, vinyl and cassette back in the day and we loved it. But purchasing and taking care of all was part of a different life style and mindset that no longer exists. You could spend hours just to make yourself a 60-minute cassette to play in the car. Now it takes minutes to make a playlist hours long for your phone or (somewhat older) MP3 player. Our music library of the past took up boxes or bookshelves of space. Now you can hold your entire library in your hand.
I don’t use my phone for music as many today do. I still have an iPod Touch I use for music to wirelessly connect to my car or my bluetooth speaker at home. And I still buy my music. I refuse to pay a subscription to stream music and be at the mercy of some unkown agency deciding what I might or might not be able to listen to.
Bear in mind that 60 years ago we listened to music from noisy, scratchy 45 rpm vinyl on cheap record players and AM radio with noise and fading, and watched TV in black-and-white. Did it bother us? No.
The attention span of our younger generation (due to social media) restricts listening to music on high-quality systems.
They suffer from too much instant gratification....its a shame....
I am roughly your age at 65. Most folks could care less about my old stereo stuff. Our parents grew up listening to radios as kids at home. Maybe a record player. Most of them came home from work and watched TV as adults. The audio people were a minority I would say. Growing up in the seventies a stereo was a big thing. It was a big deal when I got my Pioneer SX 450 (15-20 watts) and turntable. Then a cassette deck to record the records to share with friends and play in the car.
Today I rode with a 35 year old that plays video games with his friends. Others are continually on social media.
So I feel that trying to get them interested stereos are like pushing a chain. And we are just trying to relive our youth.
Most of the big brands are owned by holding companies that own half of the old stand alone companies. The new super high end stuff is as good as the best stuff in the seventies. Which were very well built. The high end stuff now is for trust fund babies that have no social skills and need something for bragging rights in their weird little clicks that they are comfortable with. So like Frank Sinatra bury me with the stuff I love. My 1978 Yamaha CR 420 receiver and my 1978 Yamaha TC 520 cassette deck. We are and probably always nerds. So after taking a forty year sabbatical we are going back to our cherished stereos that made us feel so good in the past. Hobby is the currant moniker for our brush with our glory days until someone dredges up another past behavior for our next hobby. It may be searching a thrift stores for blow dryers.
Back then your SX450 cost quite a bit of your paycheck , the price you paid for it adjusted for inflation is staggering.
One of the problems with the younger gens is that most new music is autotuned, so earbuds and bluetoothed speakers are streamed though their phones and are " good enough".
Yes they may listen to AC/DC on the streamers, but sit them down in the "sweet spot" in front of the speakers and you may make them a convert.
I have a phrase I tell younger people about equipment which you could share with that younger gentleman: "Buy well, buy once." Kids these days are used to spending a couple hundred dollars on things expecting it to break in a year or two! Crazy!
I wouldn''t even say HiFi is a middle class hobby. Spending a few thousand dollars on equipment that will last you for decades makes audio equipment one of the last bastions of sensible purchases.
The problem is that most music released today is heavily compressed.
No HiFi, ar any price can fix that.
Why do you think they insist on playing the usual well recorded rubbish at shows?
Rey good point
Plus pitch corrected, auto tuned.....even in "live" performances, just sucks the life out of it.
Im a 52 yo ex mobile Dj , I love my McIntosh amp and preamp hand down to me from another retired disc jockey, the point, as you mentioned , times are changing and evolving, the appreciation for the warm sound of analog vs digital playback, is not the same for the new generation,it’s sad t see the quality of “the listening experience “ has dwindled, kinda reminds me of trying to buy quality men’s suit, the quality is gone for the masses
I can no longer hear a lot of the frequencies that I might enjoy, so there's that. I do love what I can hear on my Air Pods 4, because they never disturb anyone else, and I can go for long walks and listen to music.
Blaspheny!!! LOL
I'm glad to tell you that I introduced both my daughters to music at a young age. All kind of music.
Then, when they got older, around 10 and 12 years old, I introduced them to high fi gear. I encouraged them to put their favourite album and close their eyes, and visualise how the band must be disposed in front of them.
Then, to do the same thing with lower quality sound system. They both thought it sounded horrible.
They were used to my very good speakers and sound system. When they grew older and got their first appartement, they knew exactly what they wanted.
Music has an important place in their lives, and having a good quality sound system was even more important.
My eldest daughter choose a marantz separated system, 3300 pre-amp, 250 Amplifier, and 120 tuner, I completely rebuild these with high quality components. She also got a Thorens TD-160 to go with that system. She use Tannoy Berkeley as speaker.
The younger also use a good quality components system from mcintosh that I also put back to original specification.
She prefer the tube sound of the MC 240 amplifier and the C22 pre-amp that I also rebuild back to original specification. She prefer to use a techics sl-1200 MK 2 with her system. She use klipsch heresy speakers.
They both wait to have enough money to buy decent sound system as they said it was pointless to listen to their favourite music with a cheap sound system. Don't try to tell them about blue tooth portable speaker. They will laugh.
Obviously they also use blue tooth headphones when they're not home.
My point being that if you don't teach them to the difference between à good system and a bad one, obviously they won't care, same for the music. I did what my parents did with me and taught them the difference à good sound system make, and how their favourite artists are more enjoyable on a good sound system. BTW, they're 26 and 29 years old. Both their boyfriends got their minds blown when they listen to their favourite music with that equipment.
Obviously I know not everyone have the money or the space to have a system like this. But a good pioneer SX-1010 or Marantz 2270 receiver with modern Wharfedale or KEF speakers can do wonders.
They both have the intent to teach my 4 grandkids how music is enjoyable. It's something that can be taught and must be taught to the younger generation, as long as they love music.
keep the old gear there is nothing better than hearing music from vintage receivers through large 3-way speakers with 12 and 15 inch woofers cranked up at concert level volume
I hear ya. Nothing beats that big, full sound!
True until your hearing becomes permanently damaged or the police get called because you disturb the people in your neighborhood. Remember music is a subjective thing and most of it I do not want to be subjected to.
@@bobair2 Oops too late been there done that
@@bobair2 Use some of your HIFI budget to buy a secluded house in the country where your neighbor's house isn’t right on top of yours. That’s the price you pay for living in the city or burbs.
Love my Sansui 3300 with 4 sp2500 speakers. Bought new in 1972 and still work fine.
They call Macdonalds a restaurant. There is a market for really good stuff. And truth be told, once you get hooked on high quality, it's just hard to o back.
Lots of people have their own priorities when it comes to allocating money, and allocating space. I find that in any endeavor, individuals regard other individuals as out of their mind as to how they apply priorities.
Music is just 'moving air', just like cars are just 'going from A to B' or food is just 'not going hungry'. Some people are privileged to be enjoying life on a more refined regimen.
Agree. From the point of view of the next generation, mine is effectively junk. That’s why I buy it all from resellers, online marketplaces, and thrift stores. Great stuff for cheap!
I have been a musician, recording engineer and audiophile for over 50 years living in a tiny apartment with thin walls, no room for ideal speaker placement, and can't have any volume that would be close to normal for acoustic instruments. I listen to music 99% of the time with near field active monitors and closed back headphones. A sound staged audiophile room and system is a distant dream.
I've been into records since I started DJing in high school and that DJ setup slowly developed into a hifi system over the years.
I just passed 30 and most of my peers are like the guy you're talking about.
I'm definitely considered "young" in the hifi hobby, but there has been a "vinyl revival" in the past decade.
This will be a gateway for a small part of them to get into actual hifi audio.
But most of hifi will outprice itself above the paygrade of average joe and become a rich mans hobby:
I mean, just look at the prices for aftermarket tonearms, that's not just inflation, it's actual price gauging!
A) That audio gear through the ages is great fun, not junk. 😉🎶
B) From what I've seen around here, Hi-Fi priorities among youth are shifting, not really disappearing, so I do see some hope! 😊
C) I definitely have empathy for the struggling youth right now, as times are not financially wonderful.
D) You're not going anywhere for a long while, Bruce! 😉👍
Thanks I appreciate it
Well said sir, the younger generation play on computers and are only used to gaming headsets. 😊
Lol my gaming headset is a Sennheiser HD800S with a separate Rode shotgun mic - sounds hifi to me!
But I'm 31, so idk if that qualifies as "young".
I did have that setup since I was 28 though.
@@QoraxAudio
I agree.
Although Sennheiser HD800S is also used some audio/video post production and some recording studios. Being over a grand. Many can not afford them.
@@jaguarxta Yeah, that's the point I tried to make: it's not really about the age or application, it's about the willingness (or ability) to pay for good quality sound!
@@QoraxAudio
I have both Sennheiser HD 800 S (open end), Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 (closed end).
Depending on the environment on what I use.
Since Sennheiser HD 800 S is open end. These are not for environment that it will disturb others around me. That is when I use my Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2 being closed end is better to use.
Yes, the Sennheiser HD 800 S is my best headphones. Yet, I also like the audio characteristics of Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2. So, sometimes I would choose Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2.
Also I have Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro for on the go. Not as good as either of my headphones. Still, much better than Apple Airpods.
Still, I still like the loudspeakers over headphones. There is something about hearing the music or audio of the video throughout the room itself over listening thru headphones or earbuds.
Also gives my head and ears break from headphones and earbuds.
The thing is more:
Do we really have to have a full blown receiver with full size speakers to have real good sound?
Or can you go for a Mid to High End Soundbar system with surround speakers and subwoofer/s like Samsung Q990 Soundbar system, Nakamichi Dragon Soundbr system, etc?
Or even a decent Mid to High End headphones.
Even the quote high end isn’t worth the difference in price. It’s the cool factor. I’ve been an audiophile for 60 years. I can literally look at a speaker without hearing it and tell you how it will sound based strictly on visual of the driver. As far as the components, most equipment peaked out by mid ninety’s. You’re getting fidelity beyond the source material. Like a movie filmed in the eighties looks like a movie in the eighties no matter how many K you add to the end.
I currently have a system that I would put up against anything period and I have less than 5000 into it.
My Dynaco St416 amp, PAT 5 Preamplifier and FM 3 tube amp to DCM TF600 speakers are heaven to my ears. Not high end except for the memories!
I'm 71 with several hifi systems around the house some being audiophile quality and I probably couldn't sell any of it locally. Even donating it would be hard because they don't want stuff they can't sell. People get blown away by the audio quality of it but they would never buy it. No money and no room. You are 100% dead on. People are living pay check to pay check. Sadly the new tech has made the old obsolete and unwanted by the newer generation. I will continue to enjoy my gear until its time for the old folks home and then I fear most will end up in the dump . How fast it all changed. I lay back and listen to record on my turntable and get blown away every time. Nothing today equals it. Its like the musicians are in the room and every nuance is heard with a perfect soundstage. Thanks for the video.
There are "vintage" hifi shops around who would be happy to visit and buy your gently used equipment when the time comes. They could offer you a price for the entire lot as opposed to selling it off individually on eBay or sites like Audiogon. Just search around on the internet. Records are bought in lots too by vinyl shops otherwise there's Discogs for your most valuable items. I have the same dilemma myself and can't think of anyone I know who wants my stuff. So it goes. Cheers
Who cares whether our stuff is worthless to them? It’s worth something to us.
You are 💯 correct
Nothing can replace a live concert of a symphonic orchestra. Headphones and earbuds won't shake your guts, like large speakers!
That’s true!
Headphones are 10 times better.
This talk is interesting. Recently, my son asked me how a record player works. I ended up buying a linear tracking turntable, with a Yamaha amp, and Wharfedale Denton speakers, and use the DVD player for a CD player. Relatively inexpensive setup (
Some good points well made. I think that by suggesting that you have to spend a small fortune to hear quality sound, a certain section of the “audiophile community”, dissuade a large number of people from discovering the joy of higher fidelity audio. I put together a great sounding desktop system for under $300, which reawakened my passion for music. I have upgraded a couple of times, but if I had listened to some UA-cam pundits I would never have bothered as I have had not got a thousand bucks or so spare.
You are spot on!
You need 20k realistically.
@shadowofpain8144 Nah, what about the Ohm Walsh? They are awesome and not that expensive, and even on a serious budget, I've been using the Logitech Z906, and let me tell you, they're hifi enough it tricks my dog with nature sounds, staring at the speaker, and to me those most of the time don't sound like speakers, just let out what was recorded, you dont need MBL or crazy stuff
And you forgot to mention that the "music" younger people listen to isn't worth any "Hi-Fi".
Like pearls for pigs.
They have no respect for the quality and engineering of vintage music and audio equipment. Most of the kids listen to low def, highly compressed, auto-tuned crap on their phones.
Recording quality is much better than ever before, in my opinion. Noise to signal ratio is very low with amps these days ,as well. That said, my system has improved the older recordings I have considerably. Streaming has changed the way music is listened to. I think headphones, headphone amps and dacs are the big ticket items these days because- as you pointed out, a good many young people live at home with their parents or with housemates where everyone has different tastes in music.
Unfortunately, mixing and mastering choices often make the end result worse, with excessive compression (loudness war) and egregious digital distortion effects.
Ignorance is pretty much incurable. My nephew was dribbling on about house/rap/ whatever it is, computer generated noise, actually. So I played Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsies, Machine Gun, through my Denon/JBL system. The look of absolute disbelief, was well worth the price of admission.
Any “layperson” who’s ever heard music on a good system has, in my experience, noticed the difference. “I didn’t know that little detail was even in there and I’ve been listening to this song for years!” “The sound feels very ‘full’ without being too loud or too shrill” are the ways they usually put it, but they do notice.
I think the answer to how to pass the high quality audio torch down to the next generation lies in the video game industry. I came into home theatre looking for good speakers, because there were no good "PC speakers" made anymore. I house sat for my dad once, and he suggested that I hook my PC up to his home theatre. WOW! I realized then that video games can leverage a home theatre better than a movie on Blu Ray ever could!
Like you said, I think showing people what a good or even great experience is like is the key!
When I graduated from High School, the first thing I bought was a TEAC turntable, a Rotel receiver/amp., and two huge Bolivar speakers. You just couldn’t face your college years without a decent stereo. And it really wasn’t all that expensive. Now, with mono sound being often the only option…sound sucks.
I used to sell hifi equipment back in the mid 1970's and it was a big thing. I got into it accidentally and could very easily have missed the need for high quality gear, powerful amps, beautiful turntables and amazing speakers. It was'nt many years before people were buying their audio equiptment in the UK from shops like Currys and departmental stores, it was cheap, you didn't need to match bits together, it was all done for you, the sound was acceptable but not great compaired to say buying a pair of Kef speakers, Thorens turntables and a Quad amp. The other change was what people listened to, back in the pre 2000's young people tended to listen to quite a vast selection of musical genres, You had bands like Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons project stretching the sounds out of your system. Sadly for the most part music has deteriated until now you don't need high quality gear to listen to it. The good news is that music doesn't stand still and I believe that as the generations come and go, there will be a new coming of amazing music replacing the sounds of today and the need for decent equipment to listen to it on will return.
Yes! Every dry spell lays the groundwork for a future rennaissance.
Some time ago redid the donuts of my beautiful KEF 104.2 loudspeakers while also refinishing the cabinets. I posted pictures on social media to show my progress. A woman I know expressed to me when she read how old they are that I needed to throw them away because they were junk. A modern day pair of Bose would be much better she said. Bose just doesn't do it for me, to be kind. The KEF are hardly worthless.
My kids, late twenties, said that the older HiFi gear is an audiophile's dream.They are music nerds. They also genuinely love old tapes and records--analog--again, because they are an audiophile's dream.
In fact, after watching this video, I connected my old RCA Integrated Stereo Amplifier, listened to some 80´s non remastered songs and came to the conclusion that this is the way they meant to be listened: the reverberance from an old style amplifier and it´s AC voltage regulators, make the voice track to be heard more clearly and with higher volume. Simple facts, beautiful sounds.
Interesting thoughts. The crazy thing is right now I believe we are in a great time to be alive for hifi gear. What the future holds who knows.
I, like many, started my hifi journey in the 70s. Of course, back then, there were no smart phones, iPods, laptops, etc. There were more brick and mortar hi fi stores, which stopped me in my tracks, and I discovered music could sound so much better, or at least louder.
But like today's generation, hifi took a backseat for quite a while because I was too busy and moving all the time, that is until I retired and longed for a better listening experience again.
I'm mostly set with disposing with my stuff (I am now in remission but it can revert at any moment, and then I'll be gone in about one month). My successors have a list of all hardware and all blank tapes with worst/best price estimates; if they decide to save time on selling, they have the contacts for a few dealers that I know and trust. Sure, they'd probably get 10c on a dollar at best, but at least the stuff will stay alive and not end in a landfill. Some, most valuable and/or irreplaceable pieces are clearly labeled "keep to yourself even if it looks ugly". There are many fine new phono cartridges on the market but there won't be any mint Nakamichis, ever.
I'm in same situation brother, keep the faith and for what it's worth I've had success figuring out who I know that would derive the same pleasure from my gear (and wife would allow it in the house) and just give it to them. Gave my son inlaw nice Pioneer set up and now we have something in common other than my daughter and these seeds definitely have started to sprout. He's now eyes my other higher end kit!
Thanks to Chinese manufacturing & some innovative western companies, the equipment can be an inexpensive one time purchase. What gets me is the cost of new LPs at $40 to $140 a piece. I hope cash strapped young people are NOT getting sucked into that rabbit hole. And forget used LPs, their covers are usually dinged up & the LP full of pops, clicks & surface noise. Hi-Res streaming & CDs are a much better value!
Depends where you buy your used LPs from. For $10 I get excellent quality from the local record shop.
if memory serves, records were never cheap back in the day. $40 for a record today is probably about right when adjusted for inflation.
When I arrived in the US in '85 I replaced many LPs that had been trashed by a UK HiFi store's cleaning machine (idiots), most LPs were $5, that's $15 in 2024 dollars. That's what a new LP should cost in 2024. The record store was just down the street from the Holiday Inn where I was staying, they had no CDs yet so I showed them a few & were happy to special order my LPs.
@ $3.29 for albums in 1970. About $25 today so that would be about right.
Outstanding! As a 60 year old that started my first system in the hi fi space at 16, I completely agree with you all points. I started with a Syscom 5000 Pioneer system and within weeks traded up the loudspeakers to Magnplaners ( I still have this set today and still sound great). Hadley amp and preamp, Nac deck, kept the PL260 TT and went with a signet TK3A cartridge. I loved that system and still buy a lot of heavy vinyl to spin. But the hi fi days as we know it are done. I have been in a hi fi store that has DCM, MAC, Klipse, Mission, Yamaha etc in the speaker room. I still listen to my vinyl as much as I can. The memories and experiences I had with them be it a critical listening session or a date night with my then girlfriends still hits nerves. You are correct. Youth today can not afford the hi end in anything. Life has gotten grossly expensive. I work as a Financial Advisor and hold degrees in Economics and Physics. I have done well in life and it pains me to see other youth not be able to so. We as boomers must help where ever we can. My 2 kids launched well. But not all kids do. Let’s keep the hobby going and we need the youth to do so. Air buds and and I phone are not the same experience as listening to zeppelin on vinyl. Tangerine thru the magnapans. There is a god!
Modern chart music is so over produced and poor that there is no call for good gear. We would enjoy a guitar solo or sax solo picked out by our hi fi gear. Or a wonderful vocal. These components of music are absent in modern pop music, so the young have no need for good gear . It is just a wall of multitracked, computer enhanced mundanity. This is the central problem for sure.
Hearing ability as well as music appreciation also comes on a Bell curve. I also think most people have never heard good audio.
Some of us really notice the differences and pay attention to subtleties, trying to get the most out of a listening session, many of us just enjoy listening to music as is.
And then there are the weird category of folks who do not enjoy music at all, what is that all about?
I know right!
You know my wife?
@@scotthamilton5138 I don't think so, I've never been married ∞
I identify with you sentiment regarding snobbery. Give the ego a rest folks!
Yeah it's really a persistent bad side of hifi... I've been into hifi over 15 years now, with a continuously improving audio system and learned that the snobbery never stops.
No matter how fancy your gear is, there's always someone there to complain about the gear... especially related to records.
From my 150 bucks Reloop RP-2000 to my 4k Technics SL-1200G with custom SME V tonearm: always someone who says it's cheap crap and I should get something better.
Back when I started to get into hifi, I was 14, it really bugged me back then, but learned not to take those people seriously.
It would be so much better if newcomers didn't need to learn that IMO...
Well, until they figure a way to play vinyl on a cell phone I'm gonna hang on to my useless junk.
This year I have acquired quite a bit of vintage gear that has been fully restored and sounds great. I realise though that to most people it means nothing and they would have no idea with what do with it. Not only hifi but music means far less to people these days, it's all sadly dying out.
Regardless of how old you are if you live in an apartment it's difficult to enjoy HI-Fi because you can only play it at low to moderate volume and then only at certain times of day or you will get complaints from your neighbors. Also if you are a younger person with a roommate it's even more difficult to get a chance to listen to music unless you use headphones. The fact that more and more people will not own their own homes and rent apartments instead will make high-priced HI-FI just not worth it.
You made some excellent points Thank you
Personally, I wouldn’t read too much into the decline of high end audio other than that interests and priorities change over generations. The Boomer years (1950s thru the 1970s) were a unique time for pop music… where it went from 2 minutes 30 of a fluffy, good beat, to a genre that became a bit more serious (well, at least it took itself more serious… to a fault some would say). The result was that fidelity of reproduction took on more importance which gave us the rise in better audio equipment, which led to the audio equipment “hobby” that some of us participated in. Then starting the ‘80s with the dawn of MTV, music became more about the visual… then there was the Walkman era with convenience and portability becoming more of a priority. Technology accelerated and gave us increased convenience with digital files, Ipods, streaming, and ultimately the do-it-all Smart Phone. This is what has evolved and what the newest generation wants. I have my collections of vintage audio… and I still enjoy it… will anyone want it in 20 or so years when I pass on?... I have no idea… but I’m guessing for most, it will be just so much Boomer junk.
When you love classical music, like I do, there's nothing better in a home than a high end stereo system like the one I have. I can put on a cd of, say Brahms, close my eyes, and picture an orchestra in front of me. I can hear a concerto, for instance, and hear what the composer really wanted anyone to hear when his/her composition gets played by top musicians on their expensive instruments. It really takes me away, into a sort of quasi-meditative state.
With all this great amount of used gear out there, you don't have to spend a fortune to get good sound.
Sharing music is better than isolating yourself with IEMs.
You are preaching to the choir!
This is a little off topic, but my experience has been that restoring vintage hifi equipment can be very expensive. I can assure you that the 40-50 year old equipment in pristine condition you pay top dollar for will end up costing you hundreds of dollars to have serviced and repaired. It will surely start to fail - with weak caps primarily failing. You will be taking it to a repair shop that will replace only the most obvious part failures (that will not check every capacitor) that will set you back $300-500. After some time, more component parts will fail - and it will be back to the repair ship for another $300-500 service. You can’t just replace a couple of failed component parts and think that’s it - problem solved. You need to completely recap a 40-50 year audio preamplifier or amplifier - even if is is NOS and sealed in its original boxes. This happened to me. Had I realized that buying perfect or mint condition does not mean it will provide you years of listening enjoyment. It will provide you with years of frustration and hundreds of dollars in repair cost I might not have tried to recreate my 1973 sound system (Marantz preamp and power amp with JBL speakers). I learned the hard and expensive way. If you don’t have the (test) equipment, the knowledge and the experience - you can’t work on this vintage hifi equipment yourself. You are fooling yourself if you think you repair them yourself unless you know what you are doing. Having said all of this, I love and enjoy listening to my true component hifi stereo system. But the only reason I can is because I was fortunate enough to find a guy to properly do the work on my equipment for a fraction of the cost of an audio service center. Just because I can appreciate a good system and understand how it should work and sound doesn’t mean I can repair my vintage hifi equipment. That is another level. I admire people who can.
I find that I use my iphone and airpods to listen to music more and more often. I'm a 63 yr old boomer. Yes, I have a Yamaha receiver/stereo, CD player and JBL speakers in my office for when I really want to enjoy fidelity, but the phone and the earbuds are just so convenient!!!!!!
When I was a young man in the 70's I shared the rent on an old house with 2 buddies. The place was half way to making it to being a ruin, but the rent was low and it had 3 bedrooms. We all drove cars that were wrecks, but our combined resources purchased enough stereo equipment to play the Grateful Dead at live levels. I'm still and audiophile (stereo nut according to my wife) and invested in a system the sounds pretty freaking good. My kids and their cousins (people in their 40's) have shown some interest in HiFi and have modest systems, but my grandchildren (people in their teens) have absolutly no interest. They listen to Spotify on ear buds. I agree, HiFi is proably dead.
Too much snake oil killed the high end.
So true, plus greed as well.
You mean like p(i)s(s) audio?
I had to trash my parents possession after they passed. I want to clear my possessions so my son does not have to do so much work when I go . He could not care less about vintage electronics.
I was really into Hi-Fi in my teens, and somehow, my elder sister and her husband became very curious about the phenomenon. We went to a few high-end music stores, and when a HI-Fi convention came up, we went along. At the end, they had made a determination, based on their budget. From memory, they purchased a CEC turntable, Sansui amp, KEF bookshelf speakers and an Akai reel to reel player. This was well over 40 years ago, and my sister sold the Akai, for more than the entire purchase price, and all other components are in daily use. She still enjoys the sound of the system, so I feel they made a wise decision.
I see a the industry dying or at least shrinking. The performance gap is shrinking. Personal space is shrinking. Big cities are becoming more like EU where owning a large detached home is rare. If wealthy people are exposed to the sound illusion created by a great 2 channel stereo, the industry may continue. I liken it to the photography industry. Big expensive cameras have a role, but for most people their iPhone is enough.
I think the vinyl fad among younger people may be combined with nostalgia for tube amps. This could keep a small market alive. But there will not be a market for $20k class D amps.
I made an observation this week. Living in a big city in a neighborhood where people have the space and money to have the best audio systems, i drove down the street and saw 1 Ferrari, 3 Mclarens and a Porsche 911GT3 all on one street. I'll wage that while I had seen a couple million in unnecessary fun cars, I will bet not one house had an audiophile system. They all will have a gym, wine cellar, a dedicated room for theater and an elevator. But no 2 channel listening areas. And the youth in my city are struggling to buy a small condo where there is no room to have a speaker pulled out from the wall.
That's an interesting observation bout the cars. I wonder if they have massive home theater setups instead?
@@TheBoomerConsumer Generally yes they have a home theatre. It is a dedicated room with big reclining chairs often in a couple of rows like an actual screening room. It is big enough for family and friends to enjoy a movie together. Usually a dedicated space for a gym and another for wine storage and tastings. More often than not there is a room for a full sized pool table. Outside there is effectively a private beach club with the big pool, an outdoor kitchen and bar. So no shortage of space and dedicated spaces for personal and group activities. But I have only once seen a high end set of speakers and never an audio listening room. It's just not part of the mandatory set of luxury features.
On a visit to the USA in 1970's ( ! ) .. I met some folk that had installed a 36 foot BASS HORN in their basement .... the outlet was a BIG grille in their main room ... The effect was similar to a FULL concert hall 😝........ DAVE™🛑
Hello,I am a 66 year boomer,I paid for college, food and autos for my son. He's a engineer for G.M, my work is done .I moved in with wonderful woman who did not understand my audio hobby and complained ( nicely) about the music. So I checked into a high -end headphone system I spent about 10k an a system that I could afford, The sound is beyond Wonderfull, full and engagingly clear. I,m old school and believe you get what you pay for. I understand that young people do not have the funds to get this stuff, but the hobby is truly addictive with the stuff they have today
I understand that some people have different priorities, but I believe you have made a good choice with a headphone system.
@@TheBoomerConsumer I forgot to add YES I understand their is no value to my audio stuff , audio is a one time purchase at retail. No one will ever give me what I pay , that is why it is so important to try and purchase right the first time
Economics: law of diminishing returns! I am 54, in our time we had either cassette (portable), vinyl (not portable) and that was it until the CD was affordable (around mid 90s in my country at least). Before that the hissing of the cassette was TORTURE, the vinyls were EXTREMELY delicate and NOT portable. At the same time buying records was quite expensive so we were FORCED to spend more to get better audio. Nowadays as you correctly pointed out most any consumer device picked with some caution sounds very very good compared to what we had. So that is what they choose to buy, It is as simple as that! Thanks for the video!
I am 60, was into high end audio in my 30s for about 10 years in Sydney, Australia, I use to owned Duntech, Proac, ML, Audio Research, CJ etc plus some other high end equipments, I subscribed to several high end audio magazines and read them religiously every months, bought many of the recommended audiophile records because of the reviews, and 1 day I realised I wasn't enjoying what I was constantly doing, that was only listen to snippet of sound from a record to demonstrate or satisfy myself of what the equipments can do, I also realised it's such a lonely hobby, that there is only such narrow sweet spot, that I had to vacate the seat if I want someone else to experience what I was hearing.
But on several occasion, when I put on some music that I really like as background music while doing some other things, I had no expectation of sound quality, or any of the HIFI sound criterias such as soundstage, dynamic, imaging etc, because some of those music were not audiophile quality, some were even recorded in mono, but they happened to be some music I like, I was just humming along with the song played in the background, after a while, I realised I didn't need all of those equipments to enjoy my music, so I decided to sold all my gears, end up with just an all in one LOFI mini CD system sitting somewherer in the corner of the room that was out of the way, and upto this day, I don't miss anything. nowaday, I just use a decent bluetooth speaks streaming music, Oh, there is a bonus, I don't have to constantly worried about people breaking in, I was robbed once.
Now I have several boxes of audiophile LPs sitting somewhere in a storage room that I am too lazy to deal with. 😆
Totally understand your comment i decided to turn away from hifi found i was just searching for the money i had spent in the sound quality it’s a road to nowhere to enjoying music
I feel sad for you guys. I’m 65 and have been into high-end audio for 35 years now. I’ve been a manufacturer of high-end speakers as well. I currently have only $25k into my current system and it sounds amazing! I have a dedicated music room and spend time every night listening. I’ve got the system dialed in and no longer listen to equipment but rather the music! I’ve spent a lot of time converting $$ into sound (audio alchemy) and now just enjoy it! It seems like you have lost your appreciation for well produced music or didn’t have a significant system. There’s still time 😊
I could have written the same thing, almost word for word. The only thing I would add is that I was a national trainer in the 80's-90's for Sony's high-end ES Hi-Fi equipment. Now I have no interest in any of that stuff. Good headphones and a quality streaming service let me experience better sound than I ever did with all that other stuff.
Earbuds and sound bars will never give you that concert punch in your chest and stage presence that a good speaker system does when cranked up!
IMO audio / being an audiophile has always been a niche hobby even when i was a teen in the 90's sure people had small systems in their bedroom but mostly inexpensive all in one systems. Midfi to high end was always a smaller portion and i think thats still the same today. Most kids have their phone and maybe a bluetooth speaker and thats fine, some will no doubt slowly evolve into proper speakers and components over time. Sure companies will change w/ demand and some will make it and some wont but your gear isn't junk to the right person. just seems like your family member isn't the right person but maybe now you have planted a seed and it will grow. you should have let them experience their music on your system. thats also part of the problem, most kids are not exposed to good hifi systems so they dont know what they dont know....
That comment about the delta between cheap and expensive is spot on. I was reminded of this driving a rental low end car. My car squeeze for years has been a 2000 Buick GS, supercharged. My low end rental has features that were in the old Buick but not Chevies. The Buick, in turn, had features only available, for instance, the 1980 Cadillac I owned in the way back.
Most young people suddenly into vinyl are using
Recently my good friend had a very nice 70's Marantz stereo receiver in excellent condition. One day he told me he gave it to goodwill. I almost slapped him. He said he wished he would have kept it after he found out how much they are selling for. The strange thing is he didn't offer it to me first..he knew I was a old school stereo fan. It was one of a kind, that's hard to find on ebay. 😢
That's a real shame.
Sounds like a lousy friend. Too dumb to look up the value, too lazy to offer it to you.
Didn't he think for even a second - "Maybe I should find out what these are selling for" first?
back in 1975 my friend was studying electical engineering at Drexel. He built me a stereo speaker system where each component, base, mid-range and tweeter were in individually tuned cabinets - the tweeter was back to back ribbon style. When he completed it I took them over to Cherry Street Audio to have appraised. They cost me $400 per side and were appraised at $1,500 per side. I was happy and my friend was thrilled because they licensed his plans and built many replicas.
I still have them in my livingroom. Only replaced the speaker covers. My biggest problem is that they require 100W+ per channel to drive them. Back in the day when Yes, Supertramp and the Who were pressing limited vinyl from masters - it sounded great... but now I live in an old home with neighbors within 20 feet on both sides and I just don't have the heart to plug them in again :(
I disagree with the 'strapped for cash' argument. Audio is a hobby, no different at its core than any other hobby. I was sensitive to reproduction at my earliest teenage years and I've always found that satisfaction comes from within, not from spending. Buy used. Build your own. Enjoy the music.
I have carefully reacquired the system I had in the early 1980’s. You’re right. It’s not something my younger family members are interested in. But that’s Okay. I love it and that’s all that matters.
The same thing is happening with antique cars.