Every time I bring someone into my music room that’s in their teens and play a selection of their choice, the response is always amazement and they break into a smile as if they were a newborn who looks at their parents for the very first time.
Every time.
It’s not the music. See above.
I think it’s simply the fact that there are now infinite choices for spending their time using technology to be entertained – video games, personalized TV on topics they love, movies, politics, and of course Music. Music is just one of several now. For them, it is most practical to use the tech that covers most of these, i.e. their phones.
If they get that smile moment, different story. Those teens all bought audio equipment and are into vinyl now.
I am in my 30s and have been introduced to audio early in my life. This is something that will always be a part of me. But I do see that not many people younger than me are getting exposed to this. Perhaps Apple Music is trying with lossless but with Bluetooth headphones it defeats the purpose.
Not sure if car audio still has audiophiles? I know a lot of younger people always wanted good music in the car.
It doesn’t seem they’re even that enthusiastic, and it’s been matched by TIDAL. With that said, suddenly combining high fidelity with convenience got me excited about the audio kit. Before then, BT was adequate.
Good point with car audio: that has been a huge thing with younger music lovers.
As I read through this interesting string, the thought dawned on me that perhaps it’s up to those of us who appreciate fine audio to pass that appreciation on to younger generations. It’s true that the way music is consumed has changed, and I understand those who don’t understand the concept of purchasing music when any song they’d like to hear can be streamed from high-end sources such as TIDAL and Quobuz. But the equipment they listen on is what determines the level of appreciation they get. In the past, that meant spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a single piece. Digital has allowed some of the components to be more in reach. Sure, you can buy a $4k DAC, but for most, a sub $500 DAC will sound pretty good. That allows more to be spent on what’s REALLY important, the last piece of equipment between the system and the human… Yes, I’m thinking about speakers and/or headphones. I’ve spent hours listening to music with my grandchildren, and they now appreciate the difference in music played over BEATS headphones and the much finer experience derived from Meze 109 Pros or Focal cans. That’s because I’ve taken the time to teach them the nuances between noise and audiophile quality music. And yes… they also realize that it costs significantly more to buy those, but a lot less than it used to cost me to purchase a Nakamichi cassette deck or Conrad Johnson amplifier.
In the end, regardless of whether you have an extensive library of music or choose to stream, ROON makes the experience a LOT more engaging! But the importance of understanding who was sitting in the studio when a track was recorded is only appreciated by those taught to understand that it’s interesting information, and that you can never get that kind of information through the music service’s app. That’s the stuff you used to read on liner notes! Yes, I read every line of them, and even back then, I had friends laughing at me because they didn’t understand why I was spending my hard-earned money on musical equipment and not my automobile. BTW, much of that equipment is still with me and performing admirably… Case in point my Nak DR-1 which I listen to regularly!
If you want future generations to appreciate what we do… Teach them!
Children (or anyone) have to be interested otherwise it’s torturing to teach them something they’re not interested in.
My father tried to teach me about house plumbing when I was a teenager, I wasn’t interested, he was annoyed with me at the time because I just wanted to listen to music, something he wasn’t interested in until he reached his mid 80’s.
Now I am feeding his interest in music albeit it’s with Bluetooth which he is happy with.
My own son who’s pushing 40 now is happy with Bluetooth
He turns his air pods on without knowing how they work like I turn the thermostat up not caring how it works.
My kids roll their eyes, but I don’t despair: my daughter dances (perhaps ironically, but still) to my old man rock within the rare moment I can crank it up. And when her music is booming through my $4K-system she will shriek with delight!
I love this, but the path has to be through music that means something to them… and that by its nature is hard to find. Something like Roon does make it a little easier, and I think that begets hope for the parents and grandparents.
Personally I don’t have a budget for vinyl. When I was in my teens, it was just the delivery of music and it was cool to collect. I feel a good part of that hobby is collector nostalgia. I get it has a more rewarding and resolving sound than digital, but the barrier to entry for this stretched middle-aged man is insurmountable. The kids also complain that it ain’t as convenient as digital, and I’ve downplayed the expense of it (I’ll spoil 'em given a choice).
I wouldn’t, though, say that converting a music lover to vinyl is a loss for music at all. I think the industry loves the higher margins a record can generate, and I am told nothing beats the tactile nature of a record (certainly not a CD). But finances etc… maybe I’m envious of those that can spend the coin without guilt.
You’re just wrong. I A/B vinyl vs. high-res digital all the time. The vinyl usually wins. I put it down to the mastering, most of the time. I never buy or lilsten to vinyl from the digital era. For that I buy high-res files.
But a new - and I mean mastered recently - all-analog recording of analog recordings is almost aways choosen as better in these tests. Mint old records sound flat in comparison.
You’re making a blanket statement about vinyl ,which is wrong. But I’m with you on people buying any vinyl and claiming it’s warmer, and how much they love the ritual of playing them.
I just want the best sound. Most of the time that’s digital, but for these older recordings, new vinyl, mastered in the last 10 years is almost always - I said almost - better
Most happy to concede that. But digital is pretty good, too.
Recently we were on vacation, and our host had kindly let us access to a mass market record player and records that certainly were vintage (if not aimed at audiophiles). Suffice it to say playback for the mass market has improved.
I didn’t say that. What I’m saying is that equating vinyl with quality is wrong. Equating hi-res with quality is also wrong. It’s the mastering that makes all the difference.
I stand by my post above about the position front and centre of the music itself. So I shall not return to vinyl.
But as a curiosity…
Growing up just after my parents’ generation was throwing out 78s and so when LPs were the only medium around, I wonder: has vinyl production and distribution overcome what for me then (the 1960s) was their greatest flaw unacceptably poor surface quality: pops, crackles, clicks - sometimes right across a side?
And the needle in its expensive tone arm being lifted and thrown into random grooves because the LP was so heavily warped.
I remember returning one LP from Boult’s Vaughan Williams cycle on HMV (I can see the return address, Hayes in Middlesex) - now on CD of course - four times. Each replacement they sent was faulty and effectively unplayable. Imagine “clop clop clop clop” during that ethereal finale of the Fifth.
Like with everything, there are good records and bad records. I guess we can handle the geometry almost perfectly today, so one can argue that wow and flutter are not an issue anymore. But there are other inherent flaws that can’t possibly be removed, i.e. surface noise, groove wear and limited dynamic range.
