Has Home Theater reached the end of the road?

M

Mr Peabody

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Nov 19, 2013
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St. Louis, MO, USA
I like reading Strata-Gee to keep up with what's happening in the industry. I have noticed that the parent company of Onkyo/Pioneer and Marantz/Denon have both suffered significant financial losses in the consumer A/V wing of the company recently.

I'm not sure what to attribute that to, average Joe losing interest in HT and going to sound bars (a real trend), inflation and lack of expendable income despite inflation reported to be going back down some, due to some type of mismanagement of the company?

I personally didn't know that Pioneer was still making receivers until a short time ago, same with Onkyo until I saw the release of a new flagship receiver. I don't see either brand on sites where I typically see that type of gear. They must not have much market share IMO. Marantz/Denon have been go to brands for HT for some years but have been sold to the medical company, Masimo. Many companies are bought sold and with holding companies, I'm not sure that's entirely the blame. There's been a lot going on with that company though which is too much to get into and I don't fully understand it all.

What do you guys think, HT run its course or are these companies suffering under decisions of the parent company and loss is coincidence?
 
The people who care about sound and gear are getting old. All the younger generations care about is staring at their phones and ear-buds. Most of them only have a 3-4 second attention span from being programmed by MTV and the rest. They won't take the time to research and put something together let alone sit still thru a whole movie and enjoy the sound and effects. Another problem is no B&M stores in the malls or close enough to them where people can actually see, touch, and hear a theater. We had Soundex years ago with 22 rooms, half of them were all different theaters.

I only put a half assed HT together myself and watch movies once in a while, more in the winter.
 
People are still buying receivers and processors, and Trinnov and Dirac are still investing in their home theater products and technologies. Although in general consumer spending is very different this year.
 
Are people really setting up 9.2 and 11.2 systems? Seems like all the major players have these receivers. I mean, I get two subs, but I just can’t imagine going to this extent with surrounds. I guess if you’re a total action movie addict or something.


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I have had a 5.1 HT set up for years, I enjoy watching movies in surround. Things have changed with streaming, I could be wrong but I don't think surround is so important to folks when using the TV as your source. Also without the rental stores movies don't get so much emphasis any more, it's series now.

It could just be an economic glitch as Neko mentions.

I wonder if Yamaha is down as well.
 
rrwmd said:
Are people really setting up 9.2 and 11.2 systems?
Click to expand...

If you're going to manufacture a product, you'll want to cover all the bases instead of missing a feature that your competitor has. While most people buying a flagship receiver or processor aren't going to use all of those channels and are instead purchasing it for some other features (e.g. sound quality), someone else is going to want those additional channels. It's much more expensive to create three different models.

Some people are indeed using Atmos or other surround sound speaker setups. Multi-zone support also comes up, although often the best solution for that is other dedicated hardware.
 
Mr Peabody said:
I have had a 5.1 HT set up for years, I enjoy watching movies in surround. Things have changed with streaming, I could be wrong but I don't think surround is so important to folks when using the TV as your source. Also without the rental stores movies don't get so much emphasis any more, it's series now.

It could just be an economic glitch as Neko mentions.
Click to expand...

pretty much sums up my position / feelings as well ........
 
people don't care here about quality speakers. By far most speakers sold are soundbars for under a big tv. Looks amazing in the living room, no amps, no cables everywhere, cleaned up.

It has only one problem: it sounds poor
 
Not sure what the data say to answer your question. I do know my near 40 yr old daughters and sons in law mostly think Sonos is the answer to home theater. Sonos is the Apple of that market. It comes with an APP! It has to be the best!

Having said that, I have a McIntosh Surround sound processor and 6 channel amp and various speakers in storage and am using a Sonos Arc and Sub for my theater now. For me, it’s good enough. Times have changed.
 
I've been out of home theater for years now. Just got tired of comic book and cartoons movies. I do think Pink Floyd sounds best in surround sound as their concert were. But, if I were to get back into a simplified system I would consider something like this.

 
Home theaters used to be a specialty. Screen, projector and surround gear. Today, people can go to Costco, get an 85 inch TV and a Sonos, along with their cases of bottle water and toilet paper and they are on their way.


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I used to have HT in the past, today large screen with B & O sound bar replaced all the speakers and subwoofers 9i much prefer my living room like that, having both stereo an HT in the same space made my feel like I'm in audio store, not my aprtment).

a. HT isn't exiting as it used to be, music was and still is :)
b. Most movies content on the last decade or so has become ridiculous and boring
c. movie time is to long for me, I prefer other activities this days.
 
Talking about b:
At the moment: There are 3 amazing movies in cinema

- indiana jones
- oppenheimer
- mission impossible

they are not boring!
 
Except for Oppenheimer, it's the more of the same. Hollywood lost its original thinking to the smaller screen.

If movies we are talking, then I think that European movies have much more to offer this days, specifically when it comes to plot and screen play.
 
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