Why colored music is preferred over neutral / natural sound

[Aanuj]

My only question is will we ever buy audio equipment based on graphs and readings and reports? Will we go in to a shop and ask for papers instead of actual active listening before buying the equipment. As per the restaurant theory will we ask for the ingredients and method of cooking to determine the actual outcome of the dish. As buyers we will listen to the system before buying,no matter how good the graphd are we will buy the system only if it satisfies us sonically. People buying tube based systems buys the most colored system as per pure solid state users but even knowing that we buy because we like that particular shade of color or particular masala that colors our sound without which we find it bland or fade!

But , Measurements are very important to make something scientifically conclusive ,without which it's nothing but a trial of your thoughts without any valid reference point. Measurements tell how sensitive my speakers are or how high it how low they go but in a controlled environment of the manufacturer that's why it's the ear that decides it's good or not once it reaches the shop floor and measurements and graphs hold no ground! Event novice here will take some measurements be it the distance of the speaker from the front wall or the side wall or crawl the room to know where exactly his subwoofer sounds right. And then these are just a part of this whole hobby. A great hobby.

 

[square_wave]

There is nothing as a prefect approach to designing audio gear. Else there would only one type of gear out there.

Basic measurements which the designer deem important form the bedrock. From there onwards, different approaches take over. Subjective listening as well.

I have heard a complete setup which only had a source that measures usual parameters well but the system would not let me sit or stand still. Your entire being is moved.

I have heard other setups where everything measures well, but I just sit and stare at the system.

 

[Hiten]

ANALOGY: Even to say a particular restaurant food is good or bad, the sayer should have dined atleast at 30 to 40 restaurant to make this conclusion else he does not qualify for that. Just eating at 2 or 3 restaurant and saying that the food is good does not qualify for that statement. That too for his own taste buds. So is with Audio Gadgets at a particular price point.

A guide from experienced person is always useful even if buying for personal use. It narrows down selection.

Secondly does objective measurement do any help in analyzing at all.

I remember in diyAudio forum a member gave info about a software which gave evaluation of how amplifier will behave in various scenarios like speaker impedance etc. or something like that to an extent. If I find it I will post.

Do any potential buyers of music gear demand a demo at home to make a buying choice or decision or do the dealers even consider that even for a nominal fee. It better to pay a nominal fee for a home demo rather than be stuck with a product you dont like later.

??? ??? ?? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?? ? ?? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??. ?? ??? ?????/?????? ???? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ?? .
* bro, such demos don't happen here. Only in umrika they happen. or in some big cities like bumbai/dehali for prospective buyers.
Regards.

* translation as per forum rules.

 

[Hiten]

Do any potential buyers of music gear demand a demo at home to make a buying choice or decision or do the dealers even consider that even for a nominal fee. It better to pay a nominal fee for a home demo rather than be stuck with a product you dont like later.

I sincerely wish I am wrong but our hobby is dying hobby. Most younger generation is not interested. Music companies are not the same. Music has gone digital and is shortlived. There are no HiFi showrooms/shops in small towns like they used to be. The Electronics Compnies are changing owner ships and switching to different client base. Marantz and Nad are only few companies who cater to all class of hobbyists. I heard Marantz is taken over by some group. Some companies have turned to Higher level of client base. For ex. Technics which produced hi-end turntables and amps most recently. I doubt if you will find well made amps like Marantz KI pearl (subjectively an affordable high end amp. If I remember price was just around 80k when launched) or such in future. All will be like Boutique companies. And we should not blame them because there are no client base like it used to be. So auditioning amps at home is difficult.

 

[Hiten]

Not accurate but this may give vague idea.
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=Hifi%20amplifier
Google Trend of "Hifi Amplifier". In google trend one can find how much the particular thing is trending. Above link would be from 2004 till date. Do look at the countries too.
Regards.

 

[Hiten]

Sorry my mistake. KI Pearl was not 80K. Much higher. But surely a well made amplifier.
Regards.

 

[asliarun]

I sincerely wish I am wrong but our hobby is dying hobby. Most younger generation is not interested. Music companies are not the same. Music has gone digital and is shortlived. There are no HiFi showrooms/shops in small towns like they used to be. The Electronics Compnies are changing owner ships and switching to different client base. Marantz and Nad are only few companies who cater to all class of hobbyists. I heard Marantz is taken over by some group. Some companies have turned to Higher level of client base. For ex. Technics which produced hi-end turntables and amps most recently. I doubt if you will find well made amps like Marantz KI pearl (subjectively an affordable high end amp. If I remember price was just around 80k when launched) or such in future. All will be like Boutique companies. And we should not blame them because there are no client base like it used to be. So auditioning amps at home is difficult.

Please also consider the fact that vinyl sales have been booming. Vinyl record sales grew by a staggering 53% in 2015, and by 26% in 2016. While this may be because it is retro-cool and hipster, the sheer numbers also indicate that many youngsters genuinely value quality and clarity of sound. They are even willing to put up with the limitations and idiosyncrasies of vinyl records.

Sure, many are buying junk TTs like Crosley. But at least this indicates that the market itself is there - and with sufficient numbers, you will also have sufficient number of people who are far more discerning about audio quality and component quality.

Another thing to consider - the same set of youngsters who are not willing to spend even a few hundred dollars in traditional hifi setups are spending thousands of dollars on headphone setups. So I argue that the market is not going away, it is just changing and morphing in its own way. The quality of headphones and IEMs available today is unparallelled. If you give an example of Marantz KI Pearl, then I also challenge you to find headphones from 20 years ago that even come close to what is available today even in the mid-range segment.

My take is - people's need for good quality sound system is not changing. What is changing is the way they want to listen to the music. In some ways, they are going retro, and in many other ways, they are using new paradigms that just did not exist a few decades ago.

 

[arj]

I sincerely wish I am wrong but our hobby is dying hobby. Most younger generation is not interested. Music companies are not the same. Music has gone digital and is shortlived. There are no HiFi showrooms/shops in small towns like they used to be. The Electronics Compnies are changing owner ships and switching to different client base. Marantz and Nad are only few companies who cater to all class of hobbyists. I heard Marantz is taken over by some group. Some companies have turned to Higher level of client base. For ex. Technics which produced hi-end turntables and amps most recently. I doubt if you will find well made amps like Marantz KI pearl (subjectively an affordable high end amp. If I remember price was just around 80k when launched) or such in future. All will be like Boutique companies. And we should not blame them because there are no client base like it used to be. So auditioning amps at home is difficult.

Hiten, i will not write them off yet..i got interested in this only post 30 years and same for many others i know as well

 

[TCHeN]

One also needs to consider the "coolness" factor and also more importantly and fundamentally how music is made available these days.

Streaming is the number 1 mode and that's how the businesses want it to stay as there is more money in it for them, as opposed to selling CDs, Vinyl, etc.

I've a dedicated stereo setup and a home theater room, but the way I play music these days is to tell Alexa to stream it to a Bluetooth speaker. I'm a member of many Amazon/Echo/Dot/Alexa groups and most of them use Amazon Prime music and Spotify Premium and similar streaming apps... and it's not a small number as over 10 million Alexa devices have been sold till date.

 

[Hiten]

Hiten, i will not write them off yet..i got interested in this only post 30 years and same for many others i know as well

Arjun,
I am not writing them off (If you mean young audiophiles).

Sometimes I wonder if one should thrust their liking/hobby to new generation. Kids/teens these days are smart, They study more (competition) are more enterprising and exploring new avenues. Let them do whatever pleases them. World is not only about HiFi.

As with this hobby. let figures speak for itself.
What the Vinyl Records "Comeback" Really Looks Like
These are almost 40 years figures. Remember in 80's what population was and what is now. Probably we have double the population and if compared by percentage it will be almost negligible.

Music's lost decade: Sales cut in half in 2000s - Feb. 2, 2010

Regards

 

[asliarun]

Arjun,
I am not writing them off (If you mean young audiophiles).

Sometimes I wonder if one should thrust their liking/hobby to new generation. Kids/teens these days are smart, They study more (competition) are more enterprising and exploring new avenues. Let them do whatever pleases them. World is not only about HiFi.

As with this hobby. let figures speak for itself.
What the Vinyl Records "Comeback" Really Looks Like
These are almost 40 years figures. Remember in 80's what population was and what is now. Probably we have double the population and if compared by percentage it will be almost negligible.

Music's lost decade: Sales cut in half in 2000s - Feb. 2, 2010

Regards

An important question: All the people who were buying vinyl in the 80s - were they buying it because it was the only way for them to listen to music? Were they buying it out of choice?

Access to music has become so incredible easy and simple today because of smartphones, high speed internet, digital music. The fact that people are going back and buying vinyl in record numbers (pun intended) is actually quite a stunning thing.

Another thing to consider is that with the millennials and post-millennials, live music is what they really want. Not recorded music. If you look at most modern bands, they make their money mostly from merchandise sales, live shows, and tours. It has become the exact opposite of what it was a few decades ago.

I feel there is a major upheaval, a major metamorphosis happening with the music industry today. Just look at the indie music scene. It is far bigger today than it was ever before. Check out the quality of performances from no-name bands in the Tiny Desk performances for example. It is staggeringly good (at least to me).