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Very Insightful!

Posted by Big Dave (A) on April 28, 2007 at 09:14:39

In Reply to: Some thoughts on Linn's woes and other matters... (longish) posted by DevillEars on April 28, 2007 at 06:41:32:

I was not aware of Linn's situation, but I read your post because I know you often have interesting insights. Once I get past the odd (to my eyes) Brit noun/verb pairings, I found your essay quite insightful.

The basic problem that higher-end audio manufacturers face is declining interest in audio per se. With so many new-tech alternatives to choose from, most consumers have "moved on" to other pursuits, mostly in the video realm.... and it's hard to fault them. We humans are more sight-oriented than sound-oriented, so it's easy to see why someone would rather buy a hi-def TV than a two-channel amplifer or a pair of speakers for the same money. And of course, we have the home computer market competing for the same discretionary spending.

I suspect that high-end home audio systems will become increasingly rare, owned only by rich eccentrics. Even $4,000 audio-only systems will become an oddity. Until and unless there is a resurgence of interest in high-quality sound the market will continue to shrink. 98% of the population will spend their money on big-screen TVs and listen to music on iPods. Nothing that Linn, Rowland and the others can do will change this.

A couple of nights ago I had dinner with a fairly wealthy gentleman and his wife who live nearby, in a very tastefully furnished home they bought last year as a retirement home. They are educated, highly intelligent people. Everything in their home was of high quality, most of it obviously new. In their living room they had a 54" Pioneer HDTV, and sitting next to it a Bose Acoustic Wave system. I know they could have spent more on a sound system, but they didn't care to. Probably 75% of the money they spent on a/v gear went to the video side, and I'm sure they think their Bose system is about as good as it gets. After all, they've been bombarded with ads telling them so for years!

So, in a certain sense, Bose is the future of audio. They've pretty much followed the strategy you describe, and advertised the hell out of their products. They have an excellent reputation, and their products aren't all that bad - just overpriced by about 200%. For companies with better products to succeed, they must become more Bose-like. Sad but true.

"Music is the medicine of a troubled mind." -- Walter Haddon, 1567

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