Outlaw Audio home shop products hideout news support about
Topic Options
#91329 - 08/30/12 12:29 PM Troubling editorial...
renov8r Offline
Desperado

Registered: 11/13/02
Posts: 336
Loc: Illinois
I don't generally spend a whole lot of time pouring over the editorials of mass market A/V magazine but this piece hits somethings that I think ought to give all enthusiasts pause:

http://www.hometheater.com/content/why-dont-they-love-us


The under current in that editorial is that home theater specialization just is not relevant. What matters is iPads and headphones.
Scary stuff to those whose business model demands on something very different...

Top
#91606 - 10/29/12 01:54 PM Re: Troubling editorial... [Re: renov8r]
Hank Offline
Desperado

Registered: 03/30/01
Posts: 348
Loc: Austin, Texas, USA
Unfortunately accurate. Two things involved: first and foremost, it's the mobile thing: iPods, smart phones and tablets. I could be cynical and call it laziness, but it's more like convenience. The average consumer has given up sound quality for the convenience of carrying a sound system in their pockets. The other factor, to a much lesser degree, is the old WAF factor. Most households don't have a spare room that can be solely used as a home theater (or higher end audio room), so a home theater setup must be blended with other functions of a room. Women do not like speakers (there must be a chromosome for that strong feeling) intruding their "decor", and cannot fathom why speakers (or associated electronics) could possibly cost hundreds or thoursands of dollars. Result: that 40" LCD TV and soundbar which the article writer magnanamously calls a home theater. If that's what most people buy to make up their home theater, then there's not much for mass market media to write about. It's not going to get better. More and more people will carry their audio and video with them and also "stream" it, and thus won't have a pent up desire to go home at the end of the day to listen to music or watch a movie in a larger venue than what's in their pocket.
_________________________
"Do you expect me to talk?"
"No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

Top
#91614 - 11/01/12 01:22 PM Re: Troubling editorial... [Re: Hank]
renov8r Offline
Desperado

Registered: 11/13/02
Posts: 336
Loc: Illinois
I do think that when people really do HEAR good quality sound they often can be convinced it is "worth it".

The difficulty that I see, especially in regards to quality speakers, is that the laws of physics can be stretch to a great degree but not entirely violated.

Case-in-point, things like Outlaw's new "sound bar" -- it seems to use several good engineering principals to deliver very solid performance to at least 48 hz or so, which is excellent, but that stills about an octave off even a standard piano's range -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_key_frequencies. In other words people ought to experience a subwoofer in addition this to really hear full range music.

Sadly I cannot recall EVER hearing a subwoofer properly demonstrated at any retail store other than a higher end audio store / home theater specialty showroom.

Top
#91620 - 11/02/12 05:24 PM Re: Troubling editorial... [Re: renov8r]
Ritz2 Offline
Desperado

Registered: 01/27/09
Posts: 414
Loc: Virginia
Well, your average yahoo considers "live music" to be a very loud and electronically massaged performance by the Biebs or maybe an overdriven ear splitting Metallica concert that leaves your ears ringing for days (I used to be one of those...heh). Of the single digit percentage that have seen live chamber music or live jazz and can appreciate the subtleties therein, you've then got to weed out those folks who don't care or don't have the spare jingle to throw a couple of grand at the problem. That leaves a vanishingly small universe of consumers for niche "audiophile" companies to chase. While my kids think my audio systems have been "cool," they can't be bothered and seem quite content to listen to highly compressed music streamed from Youtube into a tiny pair of earbuds.

It won't be long before the actual hardware is commoditized even further and the differentiation offered by niche audiophile companies will be comprised almost entirely of software.
_________________________
.signature

Top
#91622 - 11/02/12 11:05 PM Re: Troubling editorial... [Re: Ritz2]
renov8r Offline
Desperado

Registered: 11/13/02
Posts: 336
Loc: Illinois
I doubt that "commoditization" will ever become so thorough.

The thing that is so goofy that there are so many choices in other parts of the consumer space. Not that long ago I remodeled my kitchen and from appliances to tile to cabinets to lighting there are SO MANY choices and SUCH a range of prices. Same kind of thing with like digital cameras -- hundreds maybe thousands of lower end choices, huge range of options in the midrange, dozens of "pro-sumer" options, nice growth of true cameras, even some viable "luxury" brands. Expand the same analogy to vehicles and there are nearly infinite ways to sub-segment things: econo, compacts, sports, "green", sports, luxury, utility, performance, exotic, slice / dice / mix & match...

Yes, I get that vehicles and appliances are more necessity than luxury, but that has not stopped SO MANY of the "part" of those businesses from manufactures to distributors and retailers to find ways to target those segments. Even more lessons seem applicable to the camera analogy -- all kinds of QUALITY differences from "image" to "cachet" to "value".

Really seems like many of the failures in the A/V space lie with foolish retailers, distributors that were worse and many manufacturers with business models that have more holes than a colander...




Originally Posted By: Ritz2
Well, your average yahoo considers "live music" to be a very loud and electronically massaged performance by the Biebs or maybe an overdriven ear splitting Metallica concert that leaves your ears ringing for days (I used to be one of those...heh). Of the single digit percentage that have seen live chamber music or live jazz and can appreciate the subtleties therein, you've then got to weed out those folks who don't care or don't have the spare jingle to throw a couple of grand at the problem. That leaves a vanishingly small universe of consumers for niche "audiophile" companies to chase. While my kids think my audio systems have been "cool," they can't be bothered and seem quite content to listen to highly compressed music streamed from Youtube into a tiny pair of earbuds.

It won't be long before the actual hardware is commoditized even further and the differentiation offered by niche audiophile companies will be comprised almost entirely of software.


Top
#91634 - 11/05/12 12:00 PM Re: Troubling editorial... [Re: renov8r]
EEman Offline
Desperado

Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 514
Loc: Canton, MI
I think there's a distinction here to be made between the mass market and the hobbiest. As a hobbiest I find my tastes are becoming more refined as I've been exposed to better and better equipment over the years and thus I'm prepared to spend my disposable income on equipment related to my hobby. Compare this to tennis shoes, which I don't care about other than keeping my feet off the cold floor and thus will buy the mass market cheapo shoes only when my current pair has more holes than hide.

If economists are right and then next generation is NOT going to be better off than the current generation then the hobbies are the logical place to save money. I think that's the real danger to all the nitch markets, not just the audiophile market.

Top
#91635 - 11/05/12 04:31 PM Re: Troubling editorial... [Re: EEman]
Hank Offline
Desperado

Registered: 03/30/01
Posts: 348
Loc: Austin, Texas, USA
EEman, that's correct - slowing global economy makes for millions with only enough money for portable compressed audio rather than "real" hi-fi equipment. Off topic, but did you guys know that for the first time in history, it's predicted that the next generation of Americans will be the first one to have a shorter lifespan than the current generation? 2/3rds of us are obese.
_________________________
"Do you expect me to talk?"
"No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

Top
#91636 - 11/05/12 09:41 PM Re: Troubling editorial... [Re: Hank]
Ritz2 Offline
Desperado

Registered: 01/27/09
Posts: 414
Loc: Virginia
Originally Posted By: Hank
Off topic, but did you guys know that for the first time in history, it's predicted that the next generation of Americans will be the first one to have a shorter lifespan than the current generation? 2/3rds of us are obese.


You can't save people from themselves. If folks want to become obese, there's not a whole lot you can do about it. You can make it more expensive (higher insurance costs for one), but at the end of the day gluttons will do what they will do.

A sad state of affairs...and motivation to hit the gym and the track. Don't be one of "them."

Best,


Edited by Ritz2 (11/05/12 09:42 PM)
_________________________
.signature

Top
#91641 - 11/07/12 04:12 PM Re: Troubling editorial... [Re: Ritz2]
Hank Offline
Desperado

Registered: 03/30/01
Posts: 348
Loc: Austin, Texas, USA
Yep, I'm back on the elliptical in the gym here at work. It sure takes will power, after no exercise for 1 1/2 years shocked
_________________________
"Do you expect me to talk?"
"No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

Top

Who's Online
0 registered (), 117 Guests and 3 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Hedoboy, naowro, BeBop, workarounder, robpar
8705 Registered Users
Top Posters (30 Days)
patm1198 1
Helson 1
Forum Stats
8,705 Registered Members
88 Forums
11,326 Topics
98,691 Posts

Most users ever online: 476 @ 12/28/22 08:54 PM