Lost in music: the world of obsessive audiophilia

[antonio66]

"Surprising as it might seem to a generation weaned on iPods and Spotify, proper hi-fi is a booming industry. It might now take the form of a digital streamer, preamp, power amp and speakers, but it inspires devotion as fervent as any early-90s High Fidelity, American Psycho-style enthusiast."

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/ ... udiophilia

[antonio66]

Let's be honest, when you see all this hi-end hifi at shows, someone must be buying it.

[savvypaul]

That's right. Numbers down but prices up.

[slinger]

I remember reading that a couple of years ago.

And in those couple of years, the seismic shift has been in sources. People who were welded to their vinyl solutions are now streaming.
I only belong to two forums, but I've seen it happen in both places. People who didn't even really want a CD player in their setup have now sold their decks, or stashed then in the attic and are buggering about with a Pi or a Tinker Board, and as Fretless' recent post highlights there's even a progression to be had beyond those in that arena. More purpose-built streamers are entering the marketplace too, some of them at horrendous prices, just to keep the loons happy for the most part.
Now, of course, there are also regenerators, external clocks, grounding boxes, medical-grade stuff, hi-fi network switches and cables, all sorts of goodies to allow you to turn your listening room into a physics lab.

[CN211276]

I have also noticed a big shift towards streaming across forums. It ticks so many boxes as well as sound quality. Convenience is a big thing, no need to leave the sofa to change a LP or CD with none of us getting any younger. A bigger plus for me is WAF. My ever expanding CD collection, as they were becoming so cheap, was taking up more and more. space and this was not going down well. No problems now they are all ripped. The vinyl I have is miniscle in comparison.

It started off for me six years ago when I discovered that Spotify through my PC did not sound bad with an AQ DF Black. Lossless followed and the rest is history as my signature bears witness to.

[Fretless]

Yes, I confess, I'm an obsessive audiophile.







But I think you already knew that.

[29mile]

Let’s not forget the big boys toys effect which for me has increased the older I get. Yes the music is important but getting the best music you can can often become more important. Sometimes you need to detox and hear music again.
Agree with streaming changes which is relatively cheap to do and diy orientated hence its popularity on forums. It is a shame but its being exploited by the big boys who see more profit in it as technology changes creating more selling opportunities. Vinyl comes and goes with the trends but is always around. My decks are staying for sure.