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Silver Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 965 Registered: Dec-04 | We are a dying breed. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20060104/HIFI04/T PEntertainment/?query=ipod hope the link works |
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Silver Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 966 Registered: Dec-04 | I might call the local long-time shops and ask about the numbers. Seems that a 90% drop in business would be difficult to deal with. Although we ae many repeat customers, and some of our kids shop the hifi scene, I might wonder. |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 3854 Registered: Dec-03 | Nuck, Thanks for the link. I've read it and don't buy the argument. Listening to music is not going out of fashion. The iPod is just a successor to the Walkman. People like to have music when travelling and so on. When something really grabs you, you want to sit and listen. Sure, the source can be a file on a magetic disc just as well as an optical disc, LP, or tape. I have family and between us we now have four iPods, acquired over two years. As a source it is equal to CD if you choose the big, hi-res file options in iTunes, but most people choose the smaller file formats (if they even bother to switch from default) because they want the "thousands of songs in your pocket" and cannot hear much difference through those earbuds. However, play it through a decent hifi and anyone can hear the larger files, especially "lossless", are better than mp3. aac files are better than mp3 for sound, by a lot, but still not equal to the original unless you go to high sampling sampling frequencies, and large files. With "lossless" or original "aiff" or "wav" formats the sound is as good as CD, but you might as well play the original CD. I think the writer is correct in saying DVD players have eaten into the market for CD players. That is just because DVD players play CDs, too, while offering more, besides. Meanwhile, LP turntable sales have increased a lot in the last few years. You can't play an LP when out jogging or whatever. There are plenty of us left! |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 2601 Registered: Feb-05 | How sad... Yes John I believe you are right...there are plenty of us left. The "niche" hifi market has rarely been so healthy as it is right now. Record stores are popping up everywhere. In fact the the record business is doing so well here in the Northwest that we have a successful record store recently turned chain. There are a half dozen good record stores in Portland and several other fringe stores. Like the turntable before it CD players will continue to be available and the quality of technology continue to advance for as long as you or I care. |
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Silver Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 987 Registered: Dec-04 | I was waiting for an email back from the store I frequent, but the lowdown over the phone from Dave, the owner of Target hi-fi in London, was about the same. Phono cartrige and needle sales are great. Componant sales are very good, especially the newest NAD models. Store business is brisk, and is usually busy if I go on a weekend. The previously enjoyed dept is well stocked(I got the Rotel there), and a lot of people are entering the 'better' market by shopping there. The story is much the same over at London Audio. Both stores are well stocked and well staffed. Methinks constant change is here to stay, and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Time for The Doobie Brothers(in stereo) |
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Bronze Member Username: Frostyda9Calgary, AB Canada Post Number: 79 Registered: May-05 | History is a testament to the reality of the notion that convenience trumps quality. We will survive, but we won't change the direction of the tide. |
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Silver Member Username: Stu_pittNew York City, New York Post Number: 880 Registered: May-05 | "History is a testament to the reality of the notion that convenience trumps quality." While I may not be as articulate as Frosty, I whole heartedly agree. In a nut shell, IMO the convenience of cassette replaced vinyl, the convenience of cd replaced cassette, and the convenience of mp3 and flash memory players will most likely replace cd. Note that I think each mass change was srtictly convenience, and fidelity decreased with each one (exception being tape to cd). I think vinyl is by far the best medium if you want to hear the true emotion and drive of music. Which "hi-rez" cd format will win out? Easy - The most convenient one. Forget about sound quality and the essence of music, if it's not portable, easily recordable/sharable, skip proof, and half the size of a cell phone, it's junk. I'm not anti convenience; I think my mini disc player is great for working out. What surprises me is how many people think they sound great hooked up to a home audio system. Why has vinyl had a small resurgence lately? Who knows. Maybe it has to do with the whole retro coolness and what was old is now somehow hip again. I think the masses will probably get tired of it again, as they did in the past. Just my opinion... |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 1180 Registered: Sep-04 | An iPod is anything but a Walkman. It's a veritable music library and this makes all the difference. A Walkman could play one CD at a time - a maximum of one album or 90 minutes if cassette. An iPod can play 8 hours straight on one battery charge and hundreds of hours if powered (i.e. in the car). This changes the way people think about music and how it's played (or even 'used'). I find that we live in such a noisy world where we are bombarded with music and pictures all the time (even a ringtone is a piece of music nowadays!) that this devalues music as a medium for emotional involvement, and I think this is one reason why HiFi has been lowered in peoples list of priorities (it used to be the number 3 on most people's lists and now it's only just into the top ten). Times are tough for HiFi retailers. Regards, Frank. |
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Bronze Member Username: Daniel_canadaCanada Post Number: 25 Registered: May-06 | One other problem is comercial radio. Playing only the "hits" of the big names. 1/2 of those artisits are just plain hacks, some are good and a few are excellent. So few people ever buy a CD, sit down and listen to the WHOLE CD from start to end. This makes popular music makers/artisits try to make that one hit. Like Madona, her old albums were solid. Her current efforts have the played to death hit and 10+tracks of filler. /rant |
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Bronze Member Username: Daniel_canadaCanada Post Number: 26 Registered: May-06 | Oh, and I don't want to register to read that article. Anyone want to copy/paste it here? |
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Bronze Member Username: Daniel_canadaCanada Post Number: 27 Registered: May-06 | Oh, and I don't want register to read that article. Anyone want to copy/paste here? |
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New member Username: DiehardmonteDelhi India Post Number: 6 Registered: May-06 | Its True my frens..Dan, Nuck, Frosty, Stu, John,...if anything in this world that has faced real & biggest massacare...its creativity...and music stands at no. one position in this list...and the biggest killer of all - the introduction of the MP3...n the suckin iPod...gone r those days when v as young audiophiles use to get blogged n excited when r dad use to bring the latest LP from George McCraig..waiting for the moment when he puts it on the turntable!!! but now its like u name a song and every other motha fukka will just pop up some bullshit player on his pc and get u the song....u want it..let me cut a cd for ya...wow...and then....music dies a beautiful death...wen we as audiophiles talk..awesome man..can u hear the light background trumpet on that Barry White song and the motha fukka says..how does it really matter??..just a song anyway????? f#@*! imagine the brain, the idea,,the creativity that is involved in making just one 4 minute song...days...nights...months..of recording..rerecordings..last min changes in lyrics, tempos...all that effort for just one cause..that somebody will just notice and admire my music just the way its meant to be..and that priviledge belongs to us...music lovers of the truest kind... If i had my way...i would have banned...the MP3..the CD writers/recorders...the free music portals on the web...copy of music...ban on pc softwares for music....,radio stations on the net...shoot in a#@ of these motha fukkas and all most evry thing that distributes music for free...i hate it when someone says..can i borrow ur cd...my brows rise a lil and then i ask him on wat will u run it? he says...i'll run it on my pc..and then...i'll make a copy n give ya....shut the f@#* up...i m nt giving ya anyhow.. This is how the current scenario is...when i say i have some priceless collection of some 50 rare music albums.. they say...50 albums only ...i got a 5 GB or say 5000 songs on my iPod..does anyone have a gun here? People say..u investing ur money on such expensive boxes...all for music??? come i'll show u my pc..sounds like a Bose..which song do u want to listen!!! This will not kill the musician as much as it is killing the industry that brings us this music..the musician gets his contract money..what about the label??? No label..no musician..no musician..no music..no music..none of us! Its very true guys its lost...the love for music is lost amid technology and unawareness...people have forgotten how to value art/literature/music....dont blame the future gen for this...its within us..near u.. near me..evrywhere...v ve got to change the rules...v ve got to kill this before it kills our love forever...and how???..v all know better... We'll take music to eternity....promise me Cheers!!! |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1326 Registered: May-05 | Sandeep - You bring up some very good points and your heart is definately in the right place. But when you express yourself with all of the explicitaves, people usually don't listen to for too long because all they hear is the F-Bombs and usually tune out everything else. Great post. It could definitely use a little restraint though. |
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New member Username: DiehardmonteDelhi India Post Number: 7 Registered: May-06 | Hi Stu, Thanks for ur comments and appreciation.....I usually get very emotional about the ongoing wrong things and specially when its about music...thats y these F-Bombs...i was angry that time because the kind of people i described in my post were actually around me n the fact that i couldn't anything about them..was frustating me...so if any body is offended after reading my post...m totally sorry for that and this wont happen again....anyways everything is fair in love and music...isn't it Stu? Cheers!!! |