This post is not to give ready-made answers as a picture of the situation. Audio is a hobby that can consume the equivalent of a good car over the years. Does it have to? It doesn’t have to.
Is it worth entering?
Oh yes!
Well, the most important thing is to be aware that the audio industry has hit the same as any other – a large increase in the price of components after COVID, inflation, high market competition – as a result … for years we have been observing a decline in quality.
The high prices are influenced by:
- High competition (the manufacturer sells individually, so they have to impose higher margins to maintain profitability)
- Increase in the price of components
- Consumers’ belief that more expensive = better
- No standardization
- Discount policy = inflated output prices
- Shopping with the eyes – we buy a nice casing that is focused on many manufacturers, not the interior that is responsible for the sound.
Technological progress is … but the highest quality sound is still guaranteed by the oldest carriers such as vinyl or reel-to-reel or tube amplifiers – so inventions that are well over 50 years old.
I wrote more about the source here:What source? Vinyl, CD, streamer, or maybe a spool?
Therefore, as never before, it is profitable to buy a used or vintage stereo. Regardless of whether we choose vinyl and lamp, or a transistor amplifier and streamer.Reasonably selected equipment used from the 90s or 00 can be 4-5-6x cheaper, offering very similar quality.
I wrote more about it here:New vs. vintage.
Therefore, the high entry barrier makes the audio a very elite hobby, which few can afford. Since the new system for 100-200,000 often sounds at the level of that from previous years for PLN 30,000.
Manufacturers are releasing new models every now and then, the Chinese have also entered the game – unfortunately due to the very high prices of components – even lowering production costs, it is difficult to catch up with this sound from years ago.
We are tempted by convenience – like Bluetooth, small speaker size, or high power amplifiers. Unfortunately, this is usually a compromise that deprives the music of its essence – naturalness, color, organic, emotional message.
Ultimately, therefore, many relatively expensive systems are not much more fun in the long run than a soundbar or multiroom.
As such equipment dominates mainly in stores – new people – having no comparison, decide to use such devices and hardly anyone goes into it deeper. And when it goes straight intoDIY, or he wanders for years like me orJackdiscouraging further fun.
Good news
However, they are such that there is a lot of new good-class equipment – e.g. in manufactories. Not all of them, but they are.
The secondary market has never been as rich as it is today. Virtually all devices that have been created are compatible with each other.
With the help of someone who knows, you can sometimes even choose great devices.
Therefore, it was created:https://audio-architect.euIf you want to rediscover your music – please.
Contemporary hi-end
So brands such as DCS, Kharma, Magico, Bat, or higher models of classic brands – Spendor, ATC, PMC, cost several dozen or over PLN 100,000
If we have such a budget – we can play very seriously and choose in interesting designs or fancy modern pickups.
More pleasant – warmer, analog sound should be left, for example, for the bedroom 🙂
