mlsstl wrote: > I think the question would really be: if the audiophile press flatly > declared that anything other than properly functioning USB cable which > meets specifications was not only not necessary but a just a waste of > one's hard earned money, _would_there_be_an_audiophile_press?_ > > The world is full of examples of people who believe strange things, > along with businesses that exist to service those beliefs. Often those > businesses believe just as strongly as their customers, but sometimes > they don't -- they just see a market opportunity. Just saw a news > article today that says billionaire Ken Griffin recently purchased two > abstract art paintings for $500 million. Some oil paint on pieces of > canvas cloth -- talk about subjectivity! > > Some years ago I saw a great line that stuck with me. All great ideas > start off as a noble quest, then turn into a business and ultimately > become a racket. I think the high-end stereo business is a great example > of this progression -- a great idea in the 1950s & 60s that turned into > a solid business in the 70s and 80s. But look at the way things have > developed over the past 10 to 15 years. > > However, as many have noted, the problem is basically taking care of > itself. The interest in hi-fi is a fraction of what it used to be and is > mainly limited to aging baby boomers now in their golden years. These > hobbyists are not being replaced as they die off. I doubt high-end hi-fi > will completely disappear, but it will continue to become even more of a > boutique cottage industry than it is now, similar to the current status > of the buggy whip trade. > > I don't care too much that others pay a lot for stuff that I would never > buy, though I can be amused by the spectacle. The only time I really get > worked up is when health, safety or outright fraud is involved. > Differences in perception and the underlying causes are nowhere close to > getting my dander up.
Thanks for the very reasonable and thought provoking post. I find your perspective to be very insightful and I agree with at least 90% of what you're saying. I don't quite agree that high end audio and art are equivalent - audio, meaning the use of electronic equipment to record and replay an audio event is an engineered science and has both objective and subjective components whereas art is pretty much all subjective. The answer to your rephrasing of my original question is: NO Living Rm: Transporter-SimAudio pre/power amps-Vandersteen 3A Sign. & sub Home Theater: Touch-Marantz HTR-Energy Veritas 2.1 & Linn sub Computer Rm: Touch-Headroom Desktop w/DAC-Aragon amp-Energy Veritas 2.1 & Energy sub Bedroom: Touch-HR Desktop w/DAC-Audio Refinement amp-Energy Veritas 2.0 Guest Rm: Duet-Sony soundbar Garage: SB3-JVC compact system Controls: iPeng; SB Controller; Moose & Muso Server: LMS 7.9 on dedicated windows 10 computer w/2 Drobos 'Last.fm' (http://www.last.fm/user/jazzfann/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ralphpnj's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10827 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=105222 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
