The Importance of Affordability in Hifi

    In any field of electrical science, we endlessly chase performance, pushing the envelope of what wasn’t considered possible just decades before. High-end audio is no different in the hunt for perfection, years being spent in research considering every variable of audio reproduction. The audio shows are where these companies culminate in an attempt to showcase their greatest and state their case on why their audio solution is the best. Rooms of exquisite equipment, hundreds of pounds of aluminum sculpted into all manner of components glisten from the flash of cameras of eager audio reviewers trying to get first looks at what developments have been made over the year's course. Some brands tout performance for budget products, but more often than not you will see some jaw-dropping price tags and a coin toss could just as well predict how well the system will perform in imperfect hotel rooms. Some perform as expected, beautiful engineering marvels flawlessly reproducing a familiar melody and enveloping the crowd into the emotion of the music. Others, well… we all have seen some of those conversations on social media that can become a PR nightmare for a company. While the systems are impressive in their own right and looked up to in the same admiration spotlight as an exotic sports car, the similar price tag leaves an impression of exclusivity that can drive away many passionate enthusiasts or send the wrong message about the company’s mission.

    Let's face it, how many times have you personally, or heard of someone at a show complaining that a system didn’t meet expectations and sounded unremarkable? Sure, the hotel rooms are a challenge and won't work well for some of the high-end equipment that was designed and meant to reside in a dedicated listening room. A dedicated room is in itself a luxury that not every audiophile can afford, and we are usually left with making compromises with the room we have, the furniture, and sometimes the wife. This makes an imperfect setting more realistic for some, the systems that can truly integrate with the room capture your attention and become the room you remember.

     This isn’t saying that the top-tier end of the audiophile (and financial) spectrum doesn’t have its place. Every business built around a passion has esoteric levels of the hobby. As someone who also enjoys the car scene I like to analogize the car cost enthusiast range to audio, similarly, you could get into the hobby with a thousand dollars or millions depending on your budget. Much as a well-tuned sports car was made and tested on a track to ensure performance, you can only feel these dynamics in a similar setting; at a track or on back country roads for a spirited drive.  A test drive in a new Lamborghini could be fun, but how much of a true representation of the engineering put into the vehicle going to shine driving it in stop-and-go traffic? There are individuals all the time “downgrading” to a less expensive alternative because it’s a better fit for their environment and lifestyle, making it more fun and a rewarding venture. A saying that gets tossed around frequently is “I’d rather drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow.”

     What exactly makes the “slow car” more fun? Just the same in audio, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. We can design and tune every inch of the audio chain from recording to the speakers, but we can’t change the laws of physics and the biggest component in a system is the room. Some rooms are simply too small for some systems to perform at their potential. Too much resolution can pull from the experience or cause listening fatigue, and the same could be said for room acoustic treatments in a demo room. A system that punches above its price point leaves a greater impression than one that meets (or doesn’t meet) expectations for the cost.

    So what’s the long-winded point here? The high-end audio industry is healthy, but nowhere near the HiFi heyday of the 60s and 70s. High-end audio is a very niche community that many don’t even know exists, compared to the days when there was a HiFi shop in every town for kids to gawk at or have their first audio experience. How many dealers have we heard of shuttering their businesses because the overhead of a physical location is too high? For a hobby that is centered around subjectivity and personal tastes, the inability to see or listen to something before the purchase can be a difficult decision. Some have countered this issue with in-home demos, but without a local dealer, this can still prove troublesome or costly in logistics for both parties. In the end, these factors blur the line of entry-level into the audio hobby, for enthusiasts and businesses alike. The main “front line” nowadays is the local box store that usually doesn't carry much more than sound bars, and honestly, half of them are a far fetch from what audiophiles aim to do. The best thing we can do is share our passion with others for the next generation of audiophiles. “Hearing is believing” is my motto for anything audio-wise, as you can describe an experience in great detail, but it doesn’t convey the emotion and ability that a properly set up system can provide. Support the small businesses built on passion, honesty, and engineering. Affordability is crucial in the world of Hi-fi to create an inclusive community of music and gear lovers, bringing inspiration to the next generation of audiophile fanatics. This in turn helps support the music and artists that give our passion purpose.