Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Aug 6, 2019 18:11:28 GMT
I’ll be in my 60s FFS. That mean I get to moan about things not being like they used to. I wonder what the landscape will look like by then and what I get to complain most about? Streaming? Probably. But then it might have killed off CD and vinyl, leaving loads of desirable hardware selling for peanuts? Build quality? Well, it usually only gets cheaper and flimsier unless you are talking high end. Again, will the trend towards miniaturisation mean that American muscle amps are obsolete and therefore cheap to pick up? I doubt it, but I can dream. Cables? Always a PITA. I wonder if wireless tech will have removed the need for many of them. Companies that have grown and shrunk? I reckon Linn and Naim might both be gone. Chinese firms might be seen as the ones to grow in status and prestige. I can’t see Chinese prices continuing to stay so low.its inevitable that China will become more affluent and with it will come rises in manufacturing costs and currency value. Speakers: I wonder if some new transducer technology will revolutionise speakers. Will the lack of physical source media mean we all end up with tiny speakers and crap,quality? I hope not, but it will require some technical breakthrough to give better quality from smaller speakers. In-room and multi-room: The revolution has been falsely predicted for years. Largely because nobody has wanted to spend thousands wiring their homes for tech that becomes obsolete before its installed. Only true wireless tech will do this and we don’t seem just 10 years away from broadcast power. Multi-channel: Again, we’ve been told this will take over, but I don’t see it happening. All the wires, stands and kit needed is a turn off. I reckon stereo will still be king. Subs haven’t caught on for music and I don’t see this changing. People just don’t want wires, multiple boxes and complexity. If anything, I reckon we will see less of the 7.1 type systems in 10 years. Vinyl? I really can’t see the resurgence continuing. It will return to being an old man’s hobby. A bit like model trains. CD? Lots of mechs and parts will be failing. Technology may have left it behind. OTOH there may be a rise in prices as folk try to grab and hoard donor machines. Battleship players might become a bit like their turntable counterparts. Who knows? Of course, I have no idea what the future holds, but it’s been fun speculating. I predict I will still have my Sonneteers....and the odd donor  My TransRotor might need the bearing oiling and my spare OC9 might be in use! Oliver will have a Krell FPB, I reckon. Will his Pioneers still be in place though? Nah, I reckon he will go semi-omni. Shahinian probably. I bet he’s still making stuff though. |
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Post by dsjr on Aug 6, 2019 18:15:13 GMT
Bake-offs and HiFi shows will need ramps for the zimmer frames to negotiate. Most audiophiles will be fairly deaf by then so expect the noise to be even louder and with screaming highs to make up for the increasing deafness. I'd also suspect the few remaining wives/partners will have scarpered too, leaving their half deaf old trouts to mess around with ageing gear.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2019 22:08:31 GMT
I'll be 40 in 2029, lol.
You never know westie. In 40 years time. Those Sonneteer amps of today will be the next Quad/Leak of tomorrow. The Campion might fetch at least a grand.
S.
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Bigman80
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The HiFi Bear/Audioaddicts/Bigbottle Owner
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Post by Bigman80 on Aug 6, 2019 22:29:08 GMT
Bake-offs and HiFi shows will need ramps for the zimmer frames to negotiate. Most audiophiles will be fairly deaf by then so expect the noise to be even louder and with screaming highs to make up for the increasing deafness. I'd also suspect the few remaining wives/partners will have scarpered too, leaving their half deaf old trouts to mess around with ageing gear. Awesome! Maybe wheelchair or Zimmer frame audio is the way forward. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2019 22:36:25 GMT
Bake-offs and HiFi shows will need ramps for the zimmer frames to negotiate. Most audiophiles will be fairly deaf by then so expect the noise to be even louder and with screaming highs to make up for the increasing deafness. I'd also suspect the few remaining wives/partners will have scarpered too, leaving their half deaf old trouts to mess around with ageing gear. Awesome! Maybe wheelchair or Zimmer frame audio is the way forward. And don't forget the USB socket on the wheelchair. Mind you, it'll be USB5 by then. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 6:11:40 GMT
DSP processing, active modular speakers (simply buy another box and stick it together) all fed over wifi. Connect your phone to the speakers to control it all, run the DSP etc or using one of those digital assistant big brother gizmos.
Although at the moment i wonder if its more likely we'll be stuck in caves and hovels singing whilst we try and survive after trump starts WWIII or climate change goes really nuts...
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Post by macca on Aug 7, 2019 7:36:07 GMT
It's only ten years away, I bet hardly anything in hi-fi has changed by then. What has changed in the last ten years? The vinyl resurgence has been going almost that long. Streaming got more popular. Speakers with built in DSP have arrived, although they don't seem to have really caught on yet. Otherwise I can't think of anything.
But I'll make some predictions
Print hi-fi mags will have died, will all be on-line only or gone altogether.
CDs will not longer be made but will be recognized as the gold standard, the only way to have the unadulterated 'master tape' copy and will be highly desirable.
All new amps will be class D, you will have to go second hand to get anything else, used prices of high end amps will go through the roof.
Cartridges will have continued to skyrocket in price to the point where only the very wealthy can continue with vinyl. A replacement stylus even for an AT95E will be a week's wages.
How's that?
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Post by dsjr on Aug 7, 2019 8:32:35 GMT
Class D, smps and DSP will become more common I'd suggest. Focus may shift finally towards the 'speaker in room' as this dictates almost all domestic systems.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Aug 7, 2019 8:49:49 GMT
Class D, smps and DSP will become more common I'd suggest. Focus may shift finally towards the 'speaker in room' as this dictates almost all domestic systems. I completely agree about Class D. It then raises questions about sources or, more likely, speakers having built in amplification. If we then combine this with streaming, we may end up with speakers as the only visible “hifi”. I just couldn’t live without the pleasure of looking at something like this whilst listening:  |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Aug 7, 2019 8:57:53 GMT
It's only ten years away, I bet hardly anything in hi-fi has changed by then. What has changed in the last ten years? The vinyl resurgence has been going almost that long. Streaming got more popular. Speakers with built in DSP have arrived, although they don't seem to have really caught on yet. Otherwise I can't think of anything. But I'll make some predictions Print hi-fi mags will have died, will all be on-line only or gone altogether. CDs will not longer be made but will be recognized as the gold standard, the only way to have the unadulterated 'master tape' copy and will be highly desirable. All new amps will be class D, you will have to go second hand to get anything else, used prices of high end amps will go through the roof. Cartridges will have continued to skyrocket in price to the point where only the very wealthy can continue with vinyl. A replacement stylus even for an AT95E will be a week's wages. How's that? Some bold ones there and I hope we are all still here in 2029 to look back at this as a time capsule. I totally agree with high end amps, they will do better than watches in terms of rising value. I kinda agree on cartridges too, especially MCs. CDs I hope you’re right, I just don’t see as much desire amongst younger folk to own physical media. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 9:06:43 GMT
Actually, ten years ago, things were not all that different, apart from the rise of streaming. I think it's quite likely that Hi-Fi won't look too dissimilar in 2029.
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Post by antonio on Aug 7, 2019 10:42:02 GMT
I'm sure DSP speakers will be more popular in 10 years time. Also vinyl will take a down turn, new vinyl does not seem to have the quality it once had, and there is so much faffing about compared to streaming. For people wanting physical media cd's could take an up turn, although this might be 15-20 years.
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Post by macca on Aug 7, 2019 11:07:52 GMT
CDs will go like vinyl, they will have to become more difficult to obtain before there is any sort of resurgence.
Speakers with built in everything are already here, the 'smart speaker' but I think will take a long time to catch on with proper enthusiasts. A lot of us are not keen on speakers with built in amps or all in one boxes like the Devialet. Not for any sound quality reason, we're just not that keen. Not sure why.
One thing to consider: A lot of people nowadays end up with vintage kit in their 'final sytems'. Tannoy and QUAD ESL speakers, Radford and Leak amps and so on. In many cases we are talking about people who could afford the latest and greatest if they wanted it but rate the vintage stuff more highly.
Tannoy have re-issued their 'legacy' speakers, likewise Falcon with the Ls3/5a and are selling them as fast as they can make them.
Will that trend continue and get larger? Or is it a blip?
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Bigman80
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Posts: 16,400
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Post by Bigman80 on Aug 7, 2019 11:33:02 GMT
CDs will go like vinyl, they will have to become more difficult to obtain before there is any sort of resurgence. Speakers with built in everything are already here, the 'smart speaker' but I think will take a long time to catch on with proper enthusiasts. A lot of us are not keen on speakers with built in amps or all in one boxes like the Devialet. Not for any sound quality reason, we're just not that keen. Not sure why. One thing to consider: A lot of people nowadays end up with vintage kit in their 'final sytems'. Tannoy and QUAD ESL speakers, Radford and Leak amps and so on. In many cases we are talking about people who could afford the latest and greatest if they wanted it but rate the vintage stuff more highly. Tannoy have re-issued their 'legacy' speakers, likewise Falcon with the Ls3/5a and are selling them as fast as they can make them. Will that trend continue and get larger? Or is it a blip? I think a few of us will collect stuff. Depending on settled location, I want some amps as collectables. I’d like a couple of muscle amps (Bryston 4b and Aragon 8008), a top end preamp and a Leben CS600. I’d also like a high end arm or two and maybe some cartridges. I might have a couple more CD players too. I’d like a Naim CDS for nostalgia. Maybe a top Wadia too or a Micromega Duo/Trio |
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Post by antonio on Aug 7, 2019 16:09:05 GMT
You'll be opening a shop next Westie.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 17:48:41 GMT
You'll still have old gits saying how much better things used to be.
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Post by macca on Aug 7, 2019 19:09:37 GMT
And they'll still be right.
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My TransRotor might need the bearing oiling and my spare OC9 might be in use! Oliver will have a Krell FPB, I reckon. Will his Pioneers still be in place though? Nah, I reckon he will go semi-omni. Shahinian probably. I bet he’s still making stuff though.
