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I have completely explained this several times; I guess you weren't tuned in




People now in their 50s caught the tail end of a convergence of cultural phenomena that made component hi-fi audio among other things, a social signifier, a matter of intellectual aspiration, and part of the dating-and-mating dance.

Quoth the Raven, nevermore.

I explicated this in a front-of-the-book editorial in Stereophile magazine:

http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/808awsi/index.html

I expanded upon these thoughts recently when I was interviewed by the ezine High Fidelity Poland. In the 1950s, having your choice of good-sounding music in the home meant playing records on a system with an amplifier using tubes and made with point-to-point wiring and most likely acoustic suspension speakers--the system weighed 25 pounds at least. Today, your phone is in your shirt pocket and it plays music.

In 1959, you wanted good sound, you had to visit a hi-fi store, or order from Allied Radio.

Today, when you ask someone to buy component audio, you are asking him to buy something that duplicates the function of his car, his phone, and his television setup, that costs a lot more money, and requires that he sit in one place and pay attention.

EXCEPT for the period 1956-1986 (roughly), listening to music at home on high-quality audio equipment has been a MINORITY ENTHUSIASM, like Chess or the Latin Mass.

NOBODY has ever refuted my arguments, so, please take a crack!

PS: The linked-to interview is worth reading, if only for the 10 must-hear recordings I recommend.

jm

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