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Audioarts
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
The biggest frustration with the Rocky
Mountain Audio Fest and T.H.E. Show in
Newport Beach isn’t the small rooms (though
that could be improved with a little more
planning); it’s the amount of time you have
to wait on the damn elevator to get to the
rooms! There’s nothing worse than having
your enthusiasm drained by a 20-minute or
longer wait just to get from floor to floor.
Zellaton Concert
Holborne Analog 2
10 TONE AUDIO NO.64
CH Precision D1
cd/sacd player
CH Precision C1
DAC/PRE
CH Precision A1
Amplifier
Audioarts
210 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
212.260.2939
audioarts.co
Here we are, fully into
summer mode in the United States—the time
when most consumer magazines turn down
the volume, thinking everyone is outdoors
and not even considering purchasing any
new hi-fi gear. But as SpongeBob likes to say,
“That’s crazy talk!” Having recently stopped
by a few of our local dealers here in Portland,
Oregon, I can tell you that business appears
to be stronger than it’s been in a while—I felt
like I was back in the late 1970s again when
hi-fi gear was in vogue. Sure, the local shops
I went to recently weren’t quite Apple Store
busy, but traffic was brisk and customers of
all ages and both sexes were walking out the
door with boxes—always a good sign.
I had a similar experience at this year’s
Munich High End Show, where attendance
was up compared to last year and there
were more exhibitors. As with the Montreal
show, Munich is a true consumer event, with
plenty of young people, families and women
attending, all with equal vigor for music and
hi-fi. One of the secrets to these shows
is actually something incredibly simple: Don’t
waste a lot of time in the elevator at either
one of these shows, especially Munich.
So, maybe it’s time to reexamine the
business model a bit. A fresh coat of paint
and a bit of a different outlook might go a
long way to bring some fresh faces in the
door. Manufacturers like Zu Audio, Peachtree
and VPI are catering to a younger crowd and
proving that there is plenty of excitement in
the under-30 audience.
Perhaps the nature of the online world
and our engagement in social media and
online forums has actually increased interest
in the world of hi-fi after all. Of course, the
example of a few busy stores in Portland on
a sunny Saturday is too small and random of
a sampling to predict the future of an entire
industry, but it is promising. And while so
many of our peers love to predict the end of
the (audio) world as we know it, it’s always
refreshing to see enthusiasts getting together
at their favorite hi-fi stores and buying gear.
Maybe the glass is half full after all;
maybe it’s even three quarters full. As
TONEAudio gets near the end of nine years
of publication, I think the future is brighter
than it was when we started. We look
forward to hanging out with you for the
next nine years—and then some.
July 2014 11