It’s Grammy weekend, so what better way to pay tribute to music than to pay tribute to all the audiophiles out there?
No doubt we have come a long way in the means in which we enjoy the music we love. From turntables, to eight-track and cassette players, to CDs, and ultimately digital music, the evolution has been all about clarity, mobility, and the opportunity to enjoy on multiple devices we experience today.
But, there’s nothing like the sound of an old-school album or 45 – right? The resurgence of the album is evident according to a recent Nielsen SoundScan report that found that vinyl was the fastest-growing musical format in 2010 (2.8 million units sold), the format’s best year since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. (source: USA Today – Vinyl records spin back into vogue).
The great sound of vinyl aside, we have come a long way in…just look at what home stereo systems used to look like:
Image courtesy of: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
Do you miss those days? Or maybe your set-up still looks like this! If so…sweet!
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[…] It all makes sense though, I definitely remember listening to the Bee Gees as a kid. My parents used to exhibit their filipino-ness every Saturday morning by cleaning the house while listening to some old school jams, and many a times there were some Bee Gees hits on the stereo (for all you youngins, this is a stereo). […]
Firstly LIKE this photo and this era, the system has an eclectic feel to it and very removed to what people today in so many cases enjoy their music on. I am an audiophile all the way but most people are n’t. So it is hard explain to the masses why something like what is pictured is so cool.
Yesterday the stereo was often a centrepiece in a family home prior to the computer, big screen and gaming phenomenon’s. Music was treasured as people spent on average lots more then on it as they do now and similar goes for the electronics and speakers. Even in the “hi fi” era or the “disco era” where the major electronic giants were delivering mighty big speakers and heavy duty amps/ receivers this stuff cost lots of money in relation to average earnings. More people spent quality time listening to their new and older records and tapes etc.
Now in the digital age much has changed in the speed of life for families and even singles. Its about instant access of content both music and video and quality somehow is second to the convenience of it all. I talk here about the average person not nutty audiophile types like me. I enjoy a system that is even more out there than this one pictured but i shift focus to the masses away from us in the distinct minority. “Life style” products rule the audio visual roost for lots of homes out there. Often there is an impressive tv as a focal point in the persons lounge room doubling as a computer monitor “smart tv’, a gaming monitor a device for watching tv and movies often streamed. Sound is more and more a secondary concern and those four plastic speaker tower plus centre speaker and so called subwoofer is a good as it gets. But content rather than absolute quality rules. Sure some people go for a second computer audio system and there are some rather good active studio mini monitors around small enough not to intrude too much.
Where I feel lots have gone wrong is they haven’t been WOWED by a real hifi system. We are not even taking about big dollar audiophile systems tweaked to within an inch of their lives. An older system or even new “budget” components can be thrown together to great effect. There is few references for people apart from live performances. Here I attend these with great interest yet thousands of other listen to their under performing stuff just after hearing something at realistic volume without distortion.
The savoir may come in this upmarket headphone and smart phone craze. You see young adults and teenagers pounding the streets and their ears with some impressive headphones. Its a more time poor on the go lifestyle now and if they can get to work or exercise and wet their appetite for good sound and want to get serious later on with a worthy sound system fantastic.
In absolute terms we have improved sound quality but you still must be willing to pay for it. Digital downloads ofd the hi res variety are becoming a viable proposition as far as music or content goes. Gear wise the Chinese are coming in to the game with many great sounding tube/ valve based products and speaker systems worth a serois listen. The ultimate high end gear is more pricey than it has ever been and sonic advances over the gear of the past have been achieved.
On a style level lots of the new age gear doesn’t have that same “tech cool” thing that I love at least. Isn’t probably as well made and is much more likely to be recycled for parts, materials act or end up as land fill in worst case. Old gear like those lovely reel to reel tape machines are still a going concern from the late 1970’s to the early 1980’s. Speakers for many are an after thought where as years back they were furniture delivering full frequency response and could play louder than lots of the little tackers that are popular now. Sure the bookshelf speaker of today of a high standard can be amazing but you can only push the scientific envelope so far.
Hipsters for all that people take the mickey out of them embrace the long playing record and all things retro audio wise, apart from the audiophile purists and some dj’s these guys are keeping records selling and all power to them.
Records are a growing minority interest but cd’s and dvd’s plus blu ray seem to be on the way out. Relevant to the point here because there is a massive disconnect with the the way we do things audio wise and old school cool systems like our photo here are becoming less and less common sadly.
Reel to reel is a super small interest now but some new content is out there again for a heavy price but it sounds so fat and warm-invting is the word.