High-End Audio - Obsolete?

i read the top post and the first two replies. I'm not sure I have the patience to go any further...
His feelings must've been really hurt by that high end audio dealer. He's been harboring quite a grudge.

He makes 2 points I can agree with, though.
1) "It's a great time to be an audiophile on a budget"
2) "However, for audiophiles, the future looks much brighter than the past or even the present."


 
Rnrmf said:
i read the top post and the first two replies. I'm not sure I have the patience to go any further...
His feelings must've been really hurt by that high end audio dealer. He's been harboring quite a grudge.

He makes 2 points I can agree with, though.
1) "It's a great time to be an audiophile on a budget"
2) "However, for audiophiles, the future looks much brighter than the past or even the present."
Click to expand...

1. Anytime is a good time. ...To be an audiophile and all that jazz.

2. Of course that the future looks brighter; everything keeps improving. ...The recreation of a live piano keeps getting closer and closer to the real thing; through better and faster DSP programming and samples. We are getting closer and closer to the threshold of perfect realism, with more gigabytes allowed and higher sampling rates. ...Much faster computational processing.

_______________

* The first post from the thread starter is very interesting and I can totally relate.

a) The true pleasure we collect from music listening doesn't have any definite measure.
b) There are two aspects of high-end audio: One, the quality of the listening experience, from the listener's point of view (hearing) - Two, the business (financial) aspect from the manufacturer/dealer's perspective.
And between them two aspects there is a whole world of variations.

But at the end the final results converge together: The Music we like and we listen to, with all that comes with it.

_________________________

<<>> High-End Audio will never be obsolete; it's all in the perception of the listening experience, and the funds.
The true lucky ones are the ones who have access to the best. ...There are no two ways to cut it.
 
Is High-End Audio Obsolete?

Absolutely NOT!

My passion for good audio started in 1959 when I was 15 and had no money. I visited a local audio salon, probably much like the one in the OP, and was smitten. My 1st system was modest, but fed my passion for music reproduced well. Over the years, as I could afford it, my system kept improving. Today, it is orders of magnitude better, and delivers ever more pleasure. Yes, I can enjoy music on a modest system, even in the car via Sirius, but nothing is as good as my present system and the pleasure it delivers. It has taken quantum leaps in the last year alone. And, I'm not done! It will continue to improve as I discover new ways to take it to a higher level, primarily through eliminating the subtle degeneration of the SQ by noise in the power delivery system. The journey continues! Nonetheless, it is still all about the music.
 
Ha!

I read most of the OP and scanned the comments. It turned into a PC DAC pissing contest by the end.

Anyway, I gave us a Shameless Plug by responding with the below...........................

"In response to the OP and those who agree, talk to these guys about it

AudioShark.org

and many other places where HE still prevails for those who can appreciate it and afford it.

Don't tell me that if someone gave you a megabuck system for free or next to nothing, that you would not enjoy and appreciate what it can do different than that little $20 Lepai. If anyone honestly thinks that sounds better than even a simple Stratos amp, let alone a Pass Labs or VAC, well maybe audio is not the right hobby."

Happy Easter!
 
hahaha!!! that whole thread is a joke. can you build a system that you prefer the sound of for alot less money than going out and buying $150k worth of gear? of course you can, and alot of people have, from the used market and through thrifty deals, lots of research and going to hear different gear. and even sleeper products that are severely under rated, but dont get the respect they deserve because they are not in the same "tax bracket " as some other gear.but that doesnt mean high end audio is obsolete or even close to it.
are there people who exist that think the most expensive piece must be the best piece, or even just pick the brands they buy because they are so highly priced? absolutely, but that doesnt mean you have to be that person to truly enjoy your setup at more moderate prices.
but to compare the products that they are comparing , to real high end stereo gear is just absurd. and i dont think "high end" means how much $$ you spend. its just being able to get the full package in sound reproduction. no matter what gear you use.
 
NorthStar said:
Is High-End Audio Obsolete?

Good stuff, really good stuff.
Click to expand...

I'm soory, I should have mentioned that the first original post of the link above was the main course, and from there we'd take over ourselves, here.

For sure you can read the comments, but it is our own comments that are the most important, in reply to the OP's question (link).

Happy Easter Sunday! :)
 
I don't think that hi end audio is obsolete but as some one posted earlier, you can get hi end sound for cheap. I a have budget system in my bedroom that consists of a pair of Monitor Audio S1 speakers that I bought on closeout for $400 (normally sold for $700pr), a Dayton DTA 100a digital amp that I bought from Parts Express for $60 on sale (sold for $100) and a chinese tube preamp/dac-Maverick Tube Magic for $220 that I upgraded the op amps for $20 and rolled in a better sounding tube. The system sounds spectacular. It has great air and transparency, tight, deep bass with good detail and imaging. Is it as good as my $20K system, no, but it is better than many $2-3K systems that I have heard.
 
Mechnutt said:
I don't think that hi end audio is obsolete but as some one posted earlier, you can get hi end sound for cheap. I a have budget system in my bedroom that consists of a pair of Monitor Audio S1 speakers that I bought on closeout for $400 (normally sold for $700pr), a Dayton DTA 100a digital amp that I bought from Parts Express for $60 on sale (sold for $100) and a chinese tube preamp/dac-Maverick Tube Magic for $220 that I upgraded the op amps for $20 and rolled in a better sounding tube. The system sounds spectacular. It has great air and transparency, tight, deep bass with good detail and imaging. Is it as good as my $20K system, no, but it is better than many $2-3K systems that I have heard.
Click to expand...

I stirred the pot a bit over there at AVS and got several responses. When I pointed out my 90s era HE setup that cost me a whopping $600, the OP responded that all I had was Obsolete gear. Well yes, maybe. But in a few more years, when folks upgrade or change systems, more newer gear will be available at decent pricing.

Like you, you put together a decent setup with newer gear for cheap, which can also be done pretty easily.

I guess if you live and post where the majority of members are Dumpster Diving and only looking at old obsolete gear, and you have no access to real gear, that might be your mindset.

I can remember being 17 and buying my first rig from Soundex. Guys would come in and drop $15K on a turntable. The next week I would be there again and the same guy would be trading that $15K table in for the $20K one. It's no different today if anyone reads thru all the posts here. It's just relative to income and appreciation and of course, dedication to a hobby of gear, not necessarily Music.
 
Shadow, you hit the nail on the head, that hi end audio for some people is as much about being a hobby as it is about the music.
 
Shadowfax said:
I stirred the pot a bit over there at AVS and got several responses. When I pointed out my 90s era HE setup that cost me a whopping $600, the OP responded that all I had was Obsolete gear. Well yes, maybe. But in a few more years, when folks upgrade or change systems, more newer gear will be available at decent pricing.

Like you, you put together a decent setup with newer gear for cheap, which can also be done pretty easily.

I guess if you live and post where the majority of members are Dumpster Diving and only looking at old obsolete gear, and you have no access to real gear, that might be your mindset.

I can remember being 17 and buying my first rig from Soundex. Guys would come in and drop $15K on a turntable. The next week I would be there again and the same guy would be trading that $15K table in for the $20K one. It's no different today if anyone reads thru all the posts here. It's just relative to income and appreciation and of course, dedication to a hobby of gear, not necessarily Music.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's quite uncharitable. Personally, I don't know any dumpster divers and I have not met any in my travels. The people I do meet are dedicated AV enthusiasts who often exceed the fidelity I hear on six-figure systems at high-end shows. Often these hobbyists have tens of thousands of dollars invested, but their aim and the science behind their actions is distinctly different from that of the high-end audio equipment aficionado.
 
Mark Henninger said:
Wow, that's quite uncharitable. Personally, I don't know any dumpster divers and I have not met any in my travels. The people I do meet are dedicated AV enthusiasts who often exceed the fidelity I hear on six-figure systems at high-end shows. Often these hobbyists have tens of thousands of dollars invested, but their aim and the science behind their actions is distinctly different from that of the high-end audio equipment aficionado.
Click to expand...

Ah, I confused AVS with AK, my bad. AK is where the dumpster divers roam.
 
Shadowfax said:
I stirred the pot a bit over there at AVS {edit: AudioKarma} and got several responses. When I pointed out my 90s era HE setup that cost me a whopping $600, the OP responded that all I had was Obsolete gear. Well yes, maybe. But in a few more years, when folks upgrade or change systems, more newer gear will be available at decent pricing.

Like you, you put together a decent setup with newer gear for cheap, which can also be done pretty easily.

I guess if you live and post where the majority of members are Dumpster Diving and only looking at old obsolete gear, and you have no access to real gear, that might be your mindset.

I can remember being 17 and buying my first rig from Soundex. Guys would come in and drop $15K on a turntable. The next week I would be there again and the same guy would be trading that $15K table in for the $20K one. It's no different today if anyone reads thru all the posts here. It's just relative to income and appreciation and of course, dedication to a hobby of gear, not necessarily Music.
Click to expand...

You can be an equipment enthusiast and a music lover -- they aren't mutually exclusive. If an equipment enthusiast, you can be a "dumpster diver" or you can be a high-end aficionado. But even if you're a dumpster diver (by some people's definition) you can nonetheless be an AUDIOPHILE. To be an audiophile you only need to love good sound -- the best you can get within your budget.
 
Bill, that is all correct. The original thread over at AVS is more about HE being dead, which it clearly is not.

Just because some cannot appreciate or afford it, does not deem it dead, just for them.

I surely cannot (choose not) to afford it, but I am still here appreciating all the good gear that I know is far superior than anything I have ever had or have now. We shall see about the future.
 
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