Forums are slow, does that mirror the industry?

crwilli

crwilli

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It appears to me, with no measurements, that the few audio forums I tend to check in on, are all slow.

It makes me wonder if that mirrors the industry at large? Does the lack of members posting about their latest purchase or asking for input on the comparison of equipment they are considering etc., equate to the demand for and sales of new equipment?
 
crwilli said:
It appears to me, with no measurements, that the few audio forums I tend to check in on, are all slow.

It makes me wonder if that mirrors the industry at large? Does the lack of members posting about their latest purchase or asking for input on the comparison of equipment they are considering etc., equate to the demand for and sales of new equipment?
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Good question, Craig. I was talking with a Texas dealer last week and for him at least, business is doing well.
 
All good here (up YoY). I think what you are seeing with respect to the medium is a paradigm shift. The medium is changing. Far far far more people turning to YouTube. Dealer YouTubers are growing in droves. I won’t comment on the good, the bad and the ugly in that group, but there are some quite good channels and then some not so good ones. Rick and I haven’t made a video in months (he’s been sick, repairing his roof, I’ve been super busy…life gets in the way), but we intend to do another series and interview some interesting characters in the HiFi industry. I am not kidding when I say, I have lost count of the number of people who have stopped me at shows, called, emailed, etc. and asked when we were doing another episode. You also have reviewer channels, HiFi consumer channels, etc. Some good, some not so good. Pick your favorite channels and enjoy the content.

Some of the forums out there have become filled with complete and utter nonsense and constant bickering all the while claiming “best”. Best bickering, yes. Who wants to spend hours reading that? I think Audioshark has maintained a rather positive decorum overall through the years and that’s thanks to the great group here.

But even as an owner of a forum, I can honestly say, YouTube has seemingly become the medium of choice. Want a good laugh? I get far more conversation, views, dialogue going by opening a stupid box of a product than I do making a post on any forum. Just saying…
 
I hear you on YT Mike but that doesn’t offer the same engagement with a community of fellow like minded folks - or not, as is the case sometimes.

Maybe it’s the time of year?

Am I the only who feels forums, in general, seem slow?
 
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You cannot discuss the quality of a streamer, dac, amp anymore in a forum if a certain group is constantly arguing that all brands sound the same. In my country forums are dominated by those audio fools who believe only the speaker matters, or worse, the whole forum disappeared for that reason.

The other group luckily still buys nice high end audio.
 
NewAlkyogre said:
You cannot discuss the quality of a streamer, dac, amp anymore in a forum if a certain group is constantly arguing that all brands sound the same. In my country forums are dominated by those audio fools who believe only the speaker matters, or worse, the whole forum disappeared for that reason.

The other group luckily still buys nice high end audio.
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While I see that behavior on some forums, I rarely see it at the Shark.
 
NewAlkyogre said:
You cannot discuss the quality of a streamer, dac, amp anymore in a forum if a certain group is constantly arguing that all brands sound the same. In my country forums are dominated by those audio fools who believe only the speaker matters, or worse, the whole forum disappeared for that reason.

The other group luckily still buys nice high end audio.
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Maybe it's the Covid overhang, but people might be so weary already that they don't want to go to a discussion forum that has devolved into battleground. I was just talking to a fellow AS member a few days ago, asking if he also noticed the recent lack of activity.

Yes, I have noticed that other forums are slow as well. When I determine that it requires more effort to find positive contributions than I have the patience for, I tend avoid that particular forum.

In my experience, these are some of the categories of people who tend to ruin forums:

-Those who seem to think that they are smarter than others, and feel the need to lecture.
-Those who need to believe that they won the argument (even if there wasn't one).
-Those who transmogrify someone's opinion into a personal slight against them, then reply with a personal attack.
-Those who just find riling people up amusing.

People might not realize that their own behavior affects how welcoming and active a forum can be.

Thankfully, Audio Shark members are capable of self-monitoring and keeping things civilized.

Let's keep it that way!
 
JCS123 said:
Maybe it's the Covid overhang, but people might be so weary already that they don't want to go to a discussion forum that has devolved into battleground. I was just talking to a fellow AS member a few days ago, asking if he also noticed the recent lack of activity.

Yes, I have noticed that other forums are slow as well. When I determine that it requires more effort to find positive contributions than I have the patience for, I tend avoid that particular forum.

In my experience, these are some of the categories of people who tend to ruin forums:

-Those who seem to think that they are smarter than others, and feel the need to lecture.
-Those who need to believe that they won the argument (even if there wasn't one).
-Those who transmogrify someone's opinion into a personal slight against them, then reply with a personal attack.
-Those who just find riling people up amusing.

People might not realize that their own behavior affects how welcoming and active a forum can be.

Thankfully, Audio Shark members are capable of self-monitoring and keeping things civilized.

Let's keep it that way!
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Very well said. I cannot for the life of me figure out why people continue to visit the self proclaiming “best” forum when seemingly most threads just turn into giant pissing matches. Isn’t audio supposed to be an escape from the stresses of life? Laying on your death bed, I highly doubt you will be remembering a single online argument you spent hours and hours on. Life is too short.

I’m here to watch all of you and your ventures and learn a few things along the way. I can also help if anyone has any questions (but yes, I’m biased…I have my likes and dislikes too), but I do try to remain objective.

For the most part, the industry is filled with great, wonderful, passionate people. The challenge with the industry (as I see it), is a clear lack of business skills (it’s almost laughable) and an overzealous attitude for petty politics (and not the Republican/Democrat kind).

I keep my head down, do my thing, and enjoy our fabulous friends (who are also customers).
 
I have noticed as well. Maybe with some upcoming shows around the corner it may generate some discussion.

I have avoided some threads based on who posted them and the topic, you just know where they are going or will end up. Most of us have been here long enough we know where we stand.
 
What I was thinking, Most audiolovers have 2 things in common: Males above the 50, maybe due to aging this group is getting smaller.

Secondly, since covid the cost of living went up. First due to the lack of chips the audio gear itself went up very fast, if available and then due to the war in Ukraine the priced of electric and gas went sky high in Europe. And as a result of it, all other goods inflated alot due to production costs. One year the Inflation was over then 15%. All these things had the impact that a lot of people have far less money to spend.
 
I think the high prices are running a lot of people off, in addition to having less spare cash for expensive hobbies. And YouTube…

With easy streaming services, and appliances, people who just want to listen to music are busy elsewhere.
 
I also see very slow sales of used audio equipment. I have some beautiful VAC equipment for sale on US Audio Mart. Not even lowball offers. No sales keeps me from doing further upgrades. I am sure many have similar experience.
 
how 'bout it, forum activity and stagnant used market sales are obvious to me also.
I can say for my part my hifi motivations have always been stirred by my excitement in new music, and there hasn't been very much new music of the genre I enjoy the most. I also think as I venture into more expensive gear the market shrinks as my used stuff gets more expensive.
 
Bones13 said:
I think the high prices are running a lot of people off, in addition to having less spare cash for expensive hobbies. And YouTube…

With easy streaming services, and appliances, people who just want to listen to music are busy elsewhere.
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A paradigm shift coming?
 
Mike said:
A paradigm shift coming?
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Feels that way Mike. And, it is represented in a number of ways.

Discussed before is the decay of the printed media. I still subscribe to TAS and Stereophile. In the past, I used to look forward to the magazines and would read them cover to cover. These days, when they show up it takes me less than 30 minutes to page through each and read a few articles or reviews. Most of the news and show coverage is old news as YouTube and blogs do a great job in real/near realtime during or within days of a show.

YouTube, can be, at times informative or funny or flat out incompetent. I’m very selective of who and what I watch.

In terms of sites, I visit a handful regularly - AudioShark being one of them. I don’t enjoy the sites that have a culture of competition and argumentation. This is supposed to be a fun hobby not a war zone. Sharing information in a community of people that have similar interests should be fun!

As for the industry itself, we are seeing significant change happen. Now, one can say that there has always been change in high end audio but I think this time is a little different.

Founder/CEOs of famous companies retiring or passing away. Some have good succession planning, but most don’t. I can name a few companies here, most of you would agree, will struggle without their founders. And, many of us own some of their components.

We have also seen the price inflation of high end components far exceed rationality. This exuberance is actually starting to drive companies out of business as their products are no longer affordable and/or desirable at their price points.

Lastly, sadly, most of us are getting up there in age. For me, I already own a very expensive system. Upgrading what I have would require huge sums of money that I’m not willing to spend. If my hypothesis is correct, many of us (audiophiles) are in this place and, therefore, could be the reason why we are seeing slowness in the used gear market.

Just some thoughts…
 
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