High End Audio-Gaining Higher Ground?

"80% of young people into music today are buying it solely on vinyl. "

I do find that hard to believe.

Some interest in vinyl in pockets perhaps, like certain Universities. College kids often do things just to be different.

One of my son's 3 room mates last year did have a turntable, vintage receiver and records in his dorm room. I was impressed! Only 25% of the kids in that room though. That's about the extent of my stats on the subject. :^)

Here's the deal in a nutshell.

40 years ago, most people listened to the radio and records on a cheap Soundesign or similar integrated stereo made in Japan that cost maybe a couple hundred dollars max.

It sounded like crap!

MEanwhile people with good taste in music invested somewhat more and got much better sound.

Now, $200 buys a nice portable device and phones that actually sounds really good! Home gear can sound better too, but only for a price. It cost more to produce good sound at a larger scale, like in most any room compared to with headphones. But the $200 mobile/portable rig most people have can actually be quite good, so the difference, if it exists at all is much more marginal and harder to justify.

There you go. That is where we stand today. And the gap between average affordable sound quality and the best possible will likely only continue to close, not widen, over time.

Mapman, It's hard to believe, but true.
I sell records/CDs 96%/4%. CDs hardly ever sell at all.

I think most oung people get their music online these days.

Little reason for most to buy CDs anymore.

CDs have always been an inferior product to own in terms of overall utility due to the small packaging. Now, most digital music is had online.

For something to hold and look at as well as listen to, 33 1/3 has always remained the best.

For digital, new music servers and services are starting to add content that helps enrich the digital listening experience over what you get with a CD. I've started using PLEX and like it a lot. Supports high res video and music streams and formats for good sound quality to boot.

"40 years ago, most people listened to the radio and records on a cheap Soundesign or similar integrated stereo made in Japan that cost maybe a couple hundred dollars max.

It sounded like crap!"

Mapman; I have to disagree with you here. 40 years ago, I remember listening to the music and was totally not concerned at all with the equipment. I thought the music I liked was wonderful and can't remember one time saying to myself that the music sounded like crap because of the equipment.

If the music was good, then it was good and appreciated for what it was. I do believe that sometimes we are so caught up in the equipment that we just forget to listen. I was a violinst (first chair), played sax, oboe, bassoon, etc. and I can tell you that I know how music is supposed to sound. Instruments especially. However, I have no idea what the sound recording engineer actually recorded or how that person intended the recording to sound. So, I am using my judgement in listening to the recordings. But, it would be interesting to have the acutal recording engineer sit in one's home and listen to the playback of their actual recording and see and talk about their reaction. That would be interesting. I have been in live unamplified concerts in large venues in great seats and the music was unfocused, and I couldn't place the performers with my eyes closed. So, live unamplified music can also be the wrong metric. So, my point is that it depends on the intent and ear of the recording engineer, the venue, and most especially, what the listener is actually doing and what they want. You really don't hear younger people complaining much about the sound quality of their equipment or their music. They, like us 40 years ago are simply enjoying their music. However, they have money for beats headphones that don't compare at all to others like grado, etc. at the same price. They wear $150 basketball shoes and have no intention or ability to play basketball. They do it because of peer pressure, and fashion. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I see advertisements for beats for younger people, but I really don't see advertisements for grado, or other "high end" products trying to attact younger customers. I believe that arogance is one aspect of this industry that pushes younger people away.

enjoy