Hey Michael, I also believe that you and I have had our issues, but I also believe we have learned to get along. With that said I believe that the industry as a whole has been heading in the wrong direction.
Back in the day, when I first got into higher level hi-fi companies such as Nakamichi, KEF, Ohm, ADS, Yamaha, McIntosh, Harmon Kardon, Conrad Johnson, ARC, Dalquist among many others were the pinnacle, the goal we strived for. The point was that if you have a decent income and were willing to save all were in reach.
There were also steps that could be obtained for the average person to get into, to enjoy our hobby. Yes, there are still steps, but the levels have gotten far too extreme. When a new amplifier, or speakers, etc., cost as much as a working-class family's home, not to mention more than what luxury automobile costs, the industry as a whole is becoming self-limiting. The vast majority of items that get both advertised and shown at the major audio shows are far above the budget and out of reach of any person just entering our hobby. Many/most of these items are far above what any working person could possibly dream of.
Yes, there are roads and products available. Unfortunately, these items take a back seat the much more expensive brethren. Recently reading audio magazines (I have subscription to two but will probably be dropping one or both) I am constantly amazed at what gets shown, advertised, talked about, etc. I would estimate that half of these such items cost more than a new luxury automobile, and many cost more than my house, which is in what is considered a rather exclusive neighborhood.
Any mention of "affordable" brands/models appear to be after thoughts. The level which hard work and saving in the past could be reach is no longer an option for a vast majority of households that may have interests in our hobby. It is a self-defeating lunacy for long term growth in our hobby.
Sure, there is a place for these astronomical products; but these should be the outliers, not the products that are being shown as the mainstream items in our hobby. There is also a sad side effect to this way of thinking and promoting our hobby. It directly leads to wild expectations and issues such as those that I recently read about in an audio magazine. Where a back and forth between a purchaser of one of these pieces, distributer, dealer, etc., It sounds like the purchaser appears to expect and assumes an issue arose because an item he purchased from a dealer on the other side of the country was not hand delivered and installed. He claims that issues could have been avoided (or this is what I gathered from the article) had this been done. An unreal expectation, yes; but a reasonable expectation or thought when a single piece of gear is costing upwards of what small house may cost in a vast majority of the country. And honestly, could a third party such as the dealer afford such on a single purchase? This seems like a vastly over expectation by the customer; but when theses sums are being spent on a single item...
The entry level (or entry level of items being shown at shows and advertised) in our hobby has become far too high for long term growth. This is my opinion.
