Culture of Stereo hifi in India....building up or fading away....
- Thread starter nn_in
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Totally agree with you on the SQ which comes from good IEMs at 1% of the price of a good speaker-based system.IMO, listening through a good DAP or even a phone with good hardware and a decent pair of IEM's would run circles around most of the "seperate's" and "hi-fi" equipment out there purely in terms of SQ, musicality and involvement. As far as the equipment of yesteryears is concerned, I agree with tcpip - let's remove those rose tinted glasses and back off on the nostalgia and we will be able to see most of them for the turds they were.
Let's not knock Gen Y - they get 95% of the SQ for < 1% the cost and ~0.1% of the space though that MAY not have been their objective. Who's smart here? We're a pompous bunch, that's all.
But I would not mind my son listening even with headphones or IEMs or whatever. He doesn't listen to music -- he watches music. On YouTube.
And he doesn't use good IEMs -- he uses a Rs.1,200 Bluetooth tin can. Sometimes. At other times, it's just the Android device on speakerphone...No. H3. From 1984 to 1988.
keith_correa
Well-Known Member
I think you dialled the wrong number!Keith, why do you think my children don’t want to listen to my system?
keith_correa
Well-Known Member
When all arguments/logic fail, in all audio forums, there is the same old chestnut dished out - as long as they are satisfied <insert gyaan of choice here>...<snip>But I would not mind my son listening even with headphones or IEMs or whatever. He doesn't listen to music -- he watches music. On YouTube.
Ya. Sure.When all arguments/logic fail, in all audio forums, there is the same old chestnut dished out - as long as they are satisfied <insert gyaan of choice here>...
There are exactly two things good about my son which give me hope. He's pretty articulate, and he can read books (not picture books) for hours on end. Maybe he has a fighting chance after all.
keith_correa
Well-Known Member
Don't know about articulate but any person who reads obsessively is "Ace" in my book [pun intended!]. My wife and daughter are HUGE "book monsters". I was one too till I changed for no reason that I know of. At least your son will NEVER be lonely.Ya. Sure.
There are exactly two things good about my son which give me hope. He's pretty articulate, and he can read books (not picture books) for hours on end. Maybe he has a fighting chance after all.
Last Sunday I was playing my LP record " Jhoota Kahai Ka" side -2, track 3 my daughter noticed that the sound stage was wavey which I noticed only after she pointed out. I did not dig further why and attributed that to my very recent upgrade of power and speaker cables to silver plated copper wire which is still under break-in. I am glad that she is observing while she still is in school and points out too. If she pursue this hobby, I shall be happiest Dad on planet earth.
square_wave
Well-Known Member
Here’s is something I deduced. I may be wrong but here it goes. The only reason why something that has “depth” will grab anyone’s attention is when they are born with an affinity to it. Else, they won’t notice it. It does not matter how good it is. It applies to any hobby. Books, Photography, Food, High fidelity music.
However, some good things can also be learned and acquired. Here’s the problem :-- Trend plays a big part in today’s world. Peer pressure and belonging is important. Their peers are not into hifi, so it becomes a mystical.. alien thing of the past. But music is eternal and they connect to it via their headphones. Because it is personal. Personal is a key work for them. They don’t really understand the “social aspect “ of playing music in the house which everyone will enjoy. As far they are concerned, each member of the house should have their own headphone and listen to their own music.
Times are changing.
Unless, the industry creates cleverly designed high performance gear without the silly prices, two channel audio will become super niche.
On the other hand, there is a small demographic among the new generation who are bucking the trend and moving towards things that have value. I happen to know a few of these young people. They like a simplified life and surround themselves with things of value. Couple of them even got interested in Vinyl. All of them have a problem though. Silly pricing. They can never understand why a decent music system should cost the same as a car.
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As someone mentioned above, earphones are also giving excellent audio quality at a fraction of the cost and space requirements. Entry level IEMs from RHA/Beyerdynamic etc costs only around 2K and a spotify subscription 1K/year. So that’ll help a lot of people, young and old, to experience music bringing with it more inclusion.
A few years back, I remember someone asking for a recommendation for a stereo system in his budget of 10K, to which a member here suggesting to buy RCA interconnects. Unfortunately there are a lot of snobs amongst us.
A few years back, I remember someone asking for a recommendation for a stereo system in his budget of 10K, to which a member here suggesting to buy RCA interconnects. Unfortunately there are a lot of snobs amongst us.
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Looks like the one all in amp may prolong the usage and adoption of stereo.Last 6months many mfrs have launched one box solutions including stereo receivers.So there seems to be niche demand .Possibly LP resurgence is enabling folks to stay or try stereo?
jaiwant_alex
Active Member
In a nutshell, for the new generation, mobility/portability is more important than SQ. Ofcourse there will be kids who will seek good SQ as well, and for them, there is a huge range of earphones available (something we never had). I can vouch for the fact that good source files ,an android phone with a player like Poweramp which costs maybe Rs 500 and Rs.1500 in ear earphones can produce some fabulous results in a fraction of the cost, time, effort, space and endless discussion and research involved in a good stereo setup. For us this is part of the journey but the kids would rather skip it !
greenhorn
Well-Known Member
Apart from the fact that just about any mobile phone and a 500Rs IEM can give anyone access to High fidelity that a stack of 80's mid to low end Hi Fi equipment could not give.
The other part is that most of millennials, when they start earning, are staying away from home, in some 3 sharing PG trying to save money to pay for the EMI on that phone. Even if they could afford a 20K stereo and bookshelves, they do not have a house or a room to put it in. By the time they do get around to getting a house, a wife and family make those secondary concerns.
HiFi (and another casualty, Photography) are not dead, it's just that the market for specialized equipment has faded. That money is being invested in a high end phone (I am still shocked to find junior folks in my office buying phones worth 1-3x their montly salary, while i struggle to justify more than a fraction of what they spend on my phone). Also IEM's and headphone amps/DAC's. I was in a fb group, and suprised by the sheer number of $1K IEM owners in that group posting from chennai)
Same goes for investing in a record or cd or cassette collection. there is no need any more.
I think those of us who think of Hi Fi as a stack of components is going to be obsolete very soon
The other part is that most of millennials, when they start earning, are staying away from home, in some 3 sharing PG trying to save money to pay for the EMI on that phone. Even if they could afford a 20K stereo and bookshelves, they do not have a house or a room to put it in. By the time they do get around to getting a house, a wife and family make those secondary concerns.
HiFi (and another casualty, Photography) are not dead, it's just that the market for specialized equipment has faded. That money is being invested in a high end phone (I am still shocked to find junior folks in my office buying phones worth 1-3x their montly salary, while i struggle to justify more than a fraction of what they spend on my phone). Also IEM's and headphone amps/DAC's. I was in a fb group, and suprised by the sheer number of $1K IEM owners in that group posting from chennai)
Same goes for investing in a record or cd or cassette collection. there is no need any more.
I think those of us who think of Hi Fi as a stack of components is going to be obsolete very soon
Mukul77
Active Member
I think the non availability of entry level hifi system in the market may be on of the reason that the young generation are not into stereo music. On the other hand cheap 2.1, 5.10 and many Bluetooth music system are flooded the market.
Yes very well put..
Is the love for Music Listening Reducing?
No..
Is the love for High-end headphones listening going down?
No, On the contrary it's increasing!
Serious 2 Channel Audiophile Type Listening?
Well that's reducing, serious listeners are moving to headphones, because space constraints and advantages of mobility. Vinyl is resurgent, but still too far to call it mainstream.
Basically, People don't have time for anything, we've traded our free time for money ; earning is taking precedence over every non-profit indulgence. People are devoting less time to non productive (monetary terms) hobbies. I'm seeing Only people in the audio business more and more than new listeners.
Prohibitive, illogical pricing without any newer invention could be one of the reasons. Usually, The next model is mostly not a great upgrade and doesn't justify the price hike most of the times. Even DIY has reached sufficient audiophile & aesthetic standards nowadays, so the exorbitant pricing is not justified. The brand name thing isn't that impressive anymore.
Making a Wired mess all around, with the complicated mix and match of components , positioning, room Acoustics is too much to ask for simple 2 channel listening. A different version of couch potato syndrome doesn't impress many people, a 5.1 system for binging on Web Series will have many takers.
Mukul77
Active Member
I think the non availability of entry level hifi system in the market may be one of the reason that the young generation are not into stereo music. On the other hand cheap 2.1, 5.10 and many Bluetooth music system are flooded the market.
Actually last 5yrs have seen significant options for entry gear. Also we have access to used gear .Custom built DIY is another option. Offcourse its not going to have the mass appeal of HT and BT.
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