Jump to content

Why don't most people care about good sound anymore?


Kain

Recommended Posts

Back when I purchased my current speakers (2002), it seemed that many people where into good audio. You would see home theater demo setups at electronics stores and whatnot. Now, people either listen through their built-in TV speakers or, at most, have a soundbar. I also don't see home theater setup demos at regular electronics stores either. What happened?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I first got serious into this about 2002 ish...... I started big in Home Theatre. All I cared about was dialing in how my subs sounded and surround effects. By the end of the movie I couldn't tell you what it was about. Besides, how many movies can a person watch?

 

I can listen to music 24/7 but that's just me.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is cultural and with the decline in appreciation for finer things knowledge of what is good or not goes away. I am a facetor of gemstones and very good at it. At one time I thought to earn a living doing it. Around 2003 or so I gave up because it was getting harder and harder to sell. My perfect example is this. I had just finished repolishing the table of a magnificent 30+ carat medium blue Aquamarine. I took it to a store in Nashville to show a jeweler who could appreciate it. If I could sell it for my customer that would be good to since they had hired me to return the stone to a salable condition. In pops this lady whose husband was worth over 27 mil at the time. The jeweler shows her the stone and she says meh. By now being frustrated with how hard it has become to get anyone even interested in cut stones besides crap quality Diamonds Rubies Emeralds and Sapphires I decide to ask some honest questions and let the chips fall where they may. So why don't you like this? Don't you think it is pretty?  Well yes it is she says. Do you know how rare this stone is and have you ever seen one like it before? Well yes it is pretty and no I have not and meh. Alright I say you have all the money you could ever spend and you think it is pretty and I want to know specifically why you are not interested in buying this. Well she says my friends will think it is a blue Topaz. My jaw hit the table. You what?? Why do you care what your friends think? Don't you see this as a work of art? Why don't you instead educate your friends as to what this is or better yet appreciate it for what it is and not worry what they think.

 What it boiled down to was her peers had no interest in learning about things. If it was not a poorly built house in the right neighborhood. the fastest CPU for gaming or the correct name tag on a car it had no status or social value. Since then the Jewelers Guide which was the appraisers tool for values went from hundreds of entries  for type of stone and shape of cut to  something one third as large and covered none of the lesser known stones any more. Society at large does not care to know these things and finer sound goes right along with it.

  HiFi Buys in Nashville sells this awful Bowers and Wilkins stuff to people like this who don't know better. They see the "Don't touch our $1,000.00 dollar Diamond Tweeter diaphragm please" sign and think WOW. I went there last year to ask about a DAC and what a mistake that was. Anyway I humor the sales shmuck and sit before his Buck Rogers looking B&W 12 and 22K stuff and give it a listen. In the mean time I am thinking in my shop is a pair of Pro La Scalas sitting on a pair of KP-480's and all totaled including repairs and upgrades less than $1,800 in them all that so completely blows this junk away. No diamond tweeter diaphragms though so no bragging rights for those who are name droppers of sound but not connoisseurs of sound. iPhone with gold case and overpriced earbuds OK big box looking things with radical quality audiophile sound NoK.

 

 In this electronic world society has become removed from things that take time to learn about  and being willing to learn and not be a lemming waiting to be told what is coll for this week. Audiophiles generally are on a life long journey and like to learn and want to learn. We are aberrations in today's twitter length world.

 

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
42 minutes ago, Kain said:

Back when I purchased my current speakers (2002), it seemed that many people where into good audio.

It really started way before 2002, way before that they were REAL AUDIO stores all over the place, it was great, except for the wallet. Of course this was well before even Pro-Logic home theaters. Stereo 2 Ch was king and great equipment was everywhere. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Dave A said:

Darned right I do and nope they are not for sale until I build a set out of 1" Baltic Birch to replace them with. You just bought a pair didn't you? Those K-43's make a huge difference and you are in for a real treat.

I was just wondering if you still had them...I do have a set of split LSIs that are mated with a set of pro HIP's that have been the favorite of many folks that have visited my place......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My high school music teacher friend tells me the kids NEVER listen to an entire song when it's music appreciation day, and if it's not their thing, they immediately have their earbuds in masking the 'offending' track with something that is 'their thing'.   Heavy channel surfing, and a disinterest in anything outside their normal box.  As players of instruments, it's not about playing them in front of people either, it's about posting videos.  Many also have no idea why anyone would leave home to hear live music, when it's available online so freely.  It's a new universe.....

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators
47 minutes ago, SWL said:

When I first got serious into this about 2002 ish...... I started big in Home Theatre. All I cared about was dialing in how my subs sounded and surround effects. By the end of the movie I couldn't tell you what it was about. Besides, how many movies can a person watch?

 

I can listen to music 24/7 but that's just me.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

I'm obviously older than you, I started about 76-77 a year or so before I got married. First real stereo was a Sansui 8080, lp's, Akai RTR and some DIY Cornwalls and things were good.

Now we listen to 2 Ch an average of 7-8 hours a day, we watch a movie 2-3 times a year, more now with an updated sub and overall better sound but still very little.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Mallette said:

Rather long and very interesting. Back in 1984 we were building a night club and the SLV people were in there. I had heard a guy with a pair of Khorns and a pair of La Scalas in his living room so I wanted to hear what $100,000 was buying. They got out a cd player which I had never heard of at the time and took me to the middle of the dance floor. They flew a helicopter around the dance floor and even though their choices for speakers sounded poor to me the tech was cool. I guess movies can do this too but I don't watch TV or movies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back when I purchased my current speakers (2002), it seemed that many people where into good audio. You would see home theater demo setups at electronics stores and whatnot. Now, people either listen through their built-in TV speakers or, at most, have a soundbar. I also don't see home theater setup demos at regular electronics stores either. What happened?

1986 for me (Klipsch/Nakamichi when those were still the real deal) but same observations. I want a Dynaco so bad....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...