Peter_Klim
Well-known member
I was just reading about the movie TRON and it got me thinking, what the future with home audio equipment will be like. Not necessarily of he technology but will there even be HOME audio?
With the stereo electronics industry dominating in portable electronics, manufactures of home stereo have been making stereo speakers smaller and smaller. Hardlly anyone ever sits donw to listen to music to just listen to music. Even in car audio seems to be dying out because I see drivers with those white earbud headphones. I couldn't believe 5 years ago when my friend told me she listens to music in her bedroom through her PC speakers. Even in the 90's my friends at least had a boom box in their bedroom. I've been living on the beach these past 4 years and I don't even think I've ever seen anyone there with a boombox. Ok, I'm getting a bit off topic, but my point is it seems like hardly anyone has anything audio related unless its main purpose is to be heard using headphones.
Sound quality has gone downhill the last 20 years or so and it's getting worse with the Loudness war. So obviously not that many people care about sound quality, espeically not the kind you can get from good full-bandwidth floor standing speakers.
If not for home theater, I think home audio would be fading away much quicker. But even there, it's becoming small, not even bookshelf, but small satellite speakers that only go down to 200 H with one single 3" driver standing on 4 foot poles. I have a friend who use to be into HT, with nice speakers, but now he just has a TV, one that is much larger, but no external speakers. He tells me: "No, it sounds good. It gets really 'loud'"
I'm 41, and I think I'm a little bit younger than the average aged audiophile (or anyone into quality stereos). In 30 years I'll be deaf or dead. In 30 years there will hardly be the market for anyone wanting to buy decent speakers. So maybe Martin Logan is doing the right thing by getting into tiny speakers? Rumor is they're working on electrostatic bud earphones
So what are your thoughts of home audio in the feature? Will there be any? Will amps, speakers, source all be the size of a pack of cigarettes? Will it exists but it will all suck? I don't think there will be ANY talk about which cables are better or if there are any difference in detectable sonics- everything will be wireless.
With the stereo electronics industry dominating in portable electronics, manufactures of home stereo have been making stereo speakers smaller and smaller. Hardlly anyone ever sits donw to listen to music to just listen to music. Even in car audio seems to be dying out because I see drivers with those white earbud headphones. I couldn't believe 5 years ago when my friend told me she listens to music in her bedroom through her PC speakers. Even in the 90's my friends at least had a boom box in their bedroom. I've been living on the beach these past 4 years and I don't even think I've ever seen anyone there with a boombox. Ok, I'm getting a bit off topic, but my point is it seems like hardly anyone has anything audio related unless its main purpose is to be heard using headphones.
Sound quality has gone downhill the last 20 years or so and it's getting worse with the Loudness war. So obviously not that many people care about sound quality, espeically not the kind you can get from good full-bandwidth floor standing speakers.
If not for home theater, I think home audio would be fading away much quicker. But even there, it's becoming small, not even bookshelf, but small satellite speakers that only go down to 200 H with one single 3" driver standing on 4 foot poles. I have a friend who use to be into HT, with nice speakers, but now he just has a TV, one that is much larger, but no external speakers. He tells me: "No, it sounds good. It gets really 'loud'"
I'm 41, and I think I'm a little bit younger than the average aged audiophile (or anyone into quality stereos). In 30 years I'll be deaf or dead. In 30 years there will hardly be the market for anyone wanting to buy decent speakers. So maybe Martin Logan is doing the right thing by getting into tiny speakers? Rumor is they're working on electrostatic bud earphones
So what are your thoughts of home audio in the feature? Will there be any? Will amps, speakers, source all be the size of a pack of cigarettes? Will it exists but it will all suck? I don't think there will be ANY talk about which cables are better or if there are any difference in detectable sonics- everything will be wireless.