Culture of Stereo hifi in India....building up or fading away....

nn_in

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Would gen y ever going to jump onto the stereo experience in India given that headphones may have more adoption !
Any thoughts....I don't see many folks in 25's even pay any attention to stereo .It's either TV or HT or Headphone and ofcourse the ever present mobile phone
 
By Gen Y are you referring to those born after 1980? I think there are many in this forum itself.
 
It's not only the young generation.
From all childhood friends , none are into music listening. If they even listen that would be to kill time during traveling.

They ask me why only two speakers, won't 5.1 speakers make music sound better ?

Now chances are maybe someone growing up in my family would get interested in listening music because he has been exposed to such a phenomenon since he could start speaking and understanding things. Not guaranteed but there is more of a chance

Some I know are not into music listening as a hobby due to lack of time due to work and family commitments (kids growing up)

So I don't feel music listening on a 2 channel setup is dead. It was never so alive.

Maybe not in the same way like an audiophile would (looking to improve sound) but In 80s and very early 90s it was still popular due to lack of other avenues for entertainment.
 
Not really Rikhav. I have always had a 2 channel system at my place. My children have been exposed to it since their birth. But both my children prefer listening to music on their headphones. I don’t think there has even been one day where they have asked to listen to my system
 
Not really Rikhav. I have always had a 2 channel system at my place. My children have been exposed to it since their birth. But both my children prefer listening to music on their headphones. I don’t think there has even been one day where they have asked to listen to my system

That's solid example you have given prem.
If they are not interested in listening to your setup I really doubt they will ever be in any other .
 
Preth30, my one kid is a teen and one in early 20s. The question I thought was do the new generation kids listen to 2 channel hifi system? We are not discussing about someone born in the 70s
 
Our generation (born in 60s - 70s) got into music more because there was not much TV or visual content.
Kids these days (anyone under 25 in my definition) have a larger selection of entertainment.
Visual entertainment and personal music dominates the scene.
Technically, headphone listening is still 2-channel on a personal level.

We also have to take into account that living spaces are shrinking and hence compromises come in.
In a small living room, it is difficult to host a TV (and allied sources) and then a stereo (and allied sources).
I'm barely managing, even after simplifying.

In my home, wife sometimes asks for the 2-channel ring to be turned on.
She misses the CD player. Boy who is 15, likes the rig, but says it is cumbersome to use.
He will sit down and listen to it for about 30 mins max.
For my last birthday, he asked if I would like a TT; the one thing he has not seen in action. So there is hope :)

In general, I have had many extended family members ask "Where is the HT?"
My dad sometimes says one speaker is enough for him, "summed mono, anyone?"
Whatever floats the boat, I would say.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
Like reading and enjoying a good book, sitting down to listen to music needs good attention span. Hmmm...that’s not something we have now
Reading for pleasure is also fading away. At my local library the footfall is so less, like the remaining hairs on my head :D
 
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Would gen y ever going to jump onto the stereo experience in India given that headphones may have more adoption !
Any thoughts....I don't see many folks in 25's even pay any attention to stereo .It's either TV or HT or Headphone and ofcourse the ever present mobile phone
Headphones are stereo too.

My son, is a reasonably well informed music oriented millennial. One with no patience for gridded beat rock, formula lyrics and structure instant coffee pointlessness.

A couple of his friends are into his rock, jazz, blues , no bubblebieber but most are not.

If I take my school wa group, two are into audio. The rest are stuck with the sameoldsameold syrupy film stuff that was staple at school, officers club Saturdays, singing competitions and ofc radio.

If I take my colleagues. Everyone is into music. No one is into stereo or audio.

Audio is niche and not exactly mass stuff.

Aur batao

Ciao
GR
 
Headphones is also stereo .Agree. However i think the classic standalone : source>amp.>spkr combo is fading away.
raghupb's post sums it up nicely .Those of us born in 60's-70's did not have the visual entertainment we have today.Add Social networks as another factor . Possibly the reason most international mfr's are adding a All-in-one-music-box with HDMI into their portfolio.
 
Would gen y ever going to jump onto the stereo experience in India given that headphones may have more adoption !
Any thoughts....I don't see many folks in 25's even pay any attention to stereo .It's either TV or HT or Headphone and ofcourse the ever present mobile phone
Hi-Fi stereo culture is definitely fading away as far as what the old gen defines it.(conventional stereo set up and listening to it after painstakingly setting it up,followed by patient long hours of listening and relishing the experience).Now,whatever stereo is heading to,as somone has commented,is generally restricted to computer audio,headphones,mobile phones etc.
 
.........Those of us born in 60's-70's did not have the visual entertainment we have today...........

Considering this , would it be possible that 'our' ears are trained better to absorb/appreciate all the nuances in audio just because we had no video to distract us in the early days ? Like a blind man ( over time ) has better hearing capability than some one with vision ! .......possible ?
Music also sounds much better in a darkened room ! At least some types of music , Moody blues, Kitaro etc......
 
Considering this , would it be possible that 'our' ears are trained better to absorb/appreciate all the nuances in audio just because we had no video to distract us in the early days ? Like a blind man ( over time ) has better hearing capability than some one with vision ! .......possible ?
Music also sounds much better in a darkened room ! At least some types of music , Moody blues, Kitaro etc......
Yes the possibility is higher to have better hearing.Significant mobile.usage and increased ambient noise is impacting audibility of the ear
 
I would say the Gen Z (born after 1995) are more of modern gadget types. For them music comes out of their bluetooth headphones or earphones. They have no clue what CD is unless their parent shows them and tells them about it. My kids are experiencing music, the way I listen. 2 Channel stereo, 5.1.2 upmix, Vinyl, CD, Spotify, Apple Music etc. Small portable speakers to towers. So I believe, the kids of today are going to like to listen to music, the way they are going to be exposed to. Still, I would see their preference going towards watching music videos of popular Pop music like Taylor swift, Imagine Dragons, Marshmello on Youtube on TV (hopefully atleast through a soundbar). For them Music is more visual than audio. I hope this audio experience atleast never dies. But yes, Hifi equipment availability is becoming niche by the day and bluetooth and smart speakers are taking over fast.
 
2 cents from someone born in mid-80s:

1. Compared to 25-30 years ago, we have more options now. Back in those days, India really did not have much options rather than going 2 channels. We simply did not have many 5.1/7.1 options. At least that is my experience in North Kolkata(the HMV recording studio is 2.5 km.s from my house). The technology was also limited. I remember that my friends were awestruck that I had taken a demo of Bose products in around 2005.
2. With changing work culture and rise in disposable income, the younger generation has moved towards bigger cities where real estate and time - both are at premium. Naturally, compact and smaller systems are their primary choices due to practicality.
3. Attention span has reduced due to the increase of distractions. Audio-visual medium is more engaging than only audio. Does anyone remember when he/she has last received a non-official letter via post?
4. The type of music has changed rapidly in the last 20-25 years. Specially post 2010. You can expect 'music' coming to you from 2 channels but you would want 'noise' coming in from every direction. For that, a surround setup is probably better!
5. The earlier video cassettes or some early DVDs would not give you surround sound. So, having a 5.1 setup over a 2.0 setup did not add much value anyways in my opinion. Even if one had the way, he/she seldom had the will! We have to admit that Hollywood blockbusters sound different on a 5.1.

Having said these things, I admit that those who listen to music more than watching movies will always prefer a dedicated stereo setup. And for many movie watchers also prefer a stereo setup for watching movies which are more dialogue heavy.
No offense to anyone!
 
If we follow this thread,then its about stereo hifi and perhaps not about only 2 ch music.
If its about hifi sound,then new generation mostly listening to lattest music more which are already well recorded.So even with headphone/earphone and mobile,they are enjoying well.Headphone users will agree that its easy to follow music ,not an issue of room treatment or external noise.As long as they are enjoying music,they wont bother.lts conveniet to carry also.
 
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