[vcoheda]

good read. i agree with all of it. long live hi fidelity.

In defense of audiophiles. - By Fred Kaplan - Slate Magazine

 

[Bizzel]

I love the way there's a Bose ad right in the middle of it! Genius!

 

[GlendaleViper]

Amen! A fine article for the rest of us, who shouldn't need to qualify our strides to the best "once removed" experience we can get.

 

[blessingx]

I don't know. The defensiveness is a bit much for me. MP3s ARE "good enough" for most cases (environments, people, equipment, etc.). Why get your panties in a bunch? No one forgets there are other options. Practically no one expects less than better with many of those other options. I mean read the articles he's responding to. There isn't much "out-there" or controversial statements in them. Haven't we been through this already with FM, cassette, etc. My 80s Sony Walkman introduced me to much music. It didn't kill high end audio.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

Quote:

I love the way there's a Bose ad right in the middle of it! Genius!

Haha! Pwned!

 

[SR-71Panorama]

MP3's benefits no longer come into play for me: Hard drives are super cheap, and super plentiful. I'm getting tired waiting for everyone else to wake up and smell the magnets.

 

[dvw]

MP3 did not kill high end audio. High end audio was killed by HTS.

MP3 did more for music than any other format. Walking around you'll see more people listening to music than ever. It might not be high end but it is music. And the masses think it's good enough.

When I bought my first system, a stereo system is third highest ticket price item one purchased (after the house and the car). You spent hours ABX equipment. Today, you'll be lucky if you find a listening room or even an in-store CD for auditioning.

Yes, high end audio is dead and it has been for sometime. Stereophile and magazines like it touting mega buck system isn't helping any. How do you get new customers without affordable gears or a way to showcase high end sound.

This is why Bose is the definitive high end representative. They have the marketing dollar to put together a show room. Just check it out at you local Bose store.

Just my two cents

 

[ericj]

We have an entirely different sort of audio fidelity these days.

I'll take mp3 over cassette tape any day.

 

[GlendaleViper]

Wow... it didn't come off as much of a rant to me. He was simply defending the widespread claims that ipod audio is hi-fi "enough" and that people who choose to spend their money on dedicated systems are morons who should just give their money to other people instead.

Of course he agrees that it's good enough for most people, but since when are we "most people"?

This site is getting increasingly lo-fi centered...

 

[earwicker7]

God, this article makes me want to throw up. I couldn't agree more with the author and less with the tin-eared boneheads he quotes.

It's similar to what my daughter's half-brother said when I let him listen to my setup. He listened for a few minutes and seem unimpressed. I asked him if he thought it didn't sound good. He said "No, it sounds awesome, but it can't hold more than an hour of music on it." I just shook my head and wondered about the future of the human race.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleViper /img/forum/go_quote.gif This site is getting increasingly lo-fi centered...

Amen, brother! The venom that I've seen directed towards people with nice setups is unbelievable. We're all idiots, brainwashed, delusional, etc. Of course, they've never actually heard a hi-fi setup, but the TV and the internet say so, so why should they use critical thinking skills?

 

[jinp6301]

eh some people prefer portability over quality. Like the people who use their phone cameras instead of a stand alone camera, the reason they use phone camera is convenience, not quality. You have to balance between quality and convenience. Some people like to sway toward convenience, but most of us obviously like to sway the other way

 

[Uncle Erik]

That was a good read. If anyone else liked it, look into subscribing to Stereophole. Yes, there's ridiculously expensive gear, but there is always thoughtful and well-written commentary. At about $12 per year, that is the at bargain in audio. Not to mention their music reviews. I am not affiliated, just a happy subscriber.

I slightly disagree with the author. Most people I know do appreciate audiophile gear and then choke when they see the price. The other stumbling point are the cables, power cords, etc. I am not trying to touch off a debate of their merits, but everyone I've known outside the community think such things are laughable, mockable, utter, and complete BS. When I tell anyone about the hobby, those and other tweaks come up.

There is a tremendous lack of credibility in the general public. Couple that with high prices, and it kills interest in a big sort of way.

Again, I do not want to debate cables here. I just want to point out that they poison the waters for the general public. The majority opinion, right or wrong, is that cables and tweaks are snakeoil, something to mock and make fun of.

 

[Febs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earwicker7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif God, this article makes me want to throw up. I couldn't agree more with the author and less with the tin-eared boneheads he quotes.

Be sure to read the actual articles he quotes. His characterization of the Tommasini in particular is not very accurate, as he attributes to Tommasini statements of others that Tommasini is commenting on.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinp6301 /img/forum/go_quote.gif eh some people prefer portability over quality. Like the people who use their phone cameras instead of a stand alone camera, the reason they use phone camera is convenience, not quality. You have to balance between quality and convenience. Some people like to sway toward convenience, but most of us obviously like to sway the other way

I have no problem with this. What I have a problem with is the people who are convinced that iPods are soundcards are as good as it gets, and that everyone else is just a gullible idiot who only looks at the pricetag and buys the most expensive thing there is.