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Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
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Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
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In Reply to: Tweak bs is worse IMO, but neither pile of bs is responsible for hifi biz woes posted by Rick W on September 25, 2005 at 09:29:45:
Rick W wrote, "I'm not sure the hifi biz really *is* in trouble. If the ship was sinking the rats would be leaving, not climbing aboard."I agree, but with a caveat. There is an ongoing niche market for high performance audio gear. This equipment is aimed at the roughly one million audiophiles world wide. This small segment of buyers is enough to keep small niche companies in good shape, but of course not enough to sustain the consumer electronics giants such as Sony, Panasonic, etc.
The picture is very different, however, in the mainstream market. In this segment the companies have unrealistic expectations of pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. For example, when they create a new product category that proves popular, such as CD or DVD or iPod, they make bucketloads of money for a few years. But at some point the market is saturated and they are back down to a level of sustainable sales. Two-channel audio equipment is well past the peak of its growth curve and is now in a sustainable, mature market.
The problem is that sustainable sales are not enough to keep these beasts (and their shareholders) satisfied -- they got used to making bucketloads of money. That's why they say "two channel is dead". So they are constantly trying to invent something new that will hit the jackpot. Hence the new formats that nobody wants -- DVHS, SACD, DVD-Audio, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, DCC, Mini-Disc, DAT, etc, etc, etc.
It's a lot like the mainstream music business. They know that only one in ten new acts will make them money. They aren't smart enough to know ahead of time which ones, so they just crank out product, throw it against the wall, and hope something sticks.
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Follow Ups
- A word from one of the rats - Charles Hansen 09/25/0510:58:10 09/25/05 (11)
- Good points, Charles, but....... - Rick W 12:50:17 09/25/05 (10)
- The main problem is the US press - Charles Hansen 19:48:21 09/25/05 (9)
- Two mags = the US press? Get serious. - Rick W 12:53:46 09/26/05 (4)
- Your arguments... - Charles Hansen 13:43:45 09/26/05 (3)
- Right decision. nt - clarkjohnsen 08:22:08 09/27/05 (0)
- No hostility intended. I'm sure your refutation of reality would have been swell. nt - Rick W 15:39:40 09/26/05 (0)
- Gee, Chuckie, first Jim Austin, now Rick W. ... - TeddiJackEddie 15:04:10 09/26/05 (0)
- "When was the last time that you were genuinely excited about a new piece of equipment?" Oh, 1984 or so -- - clarkjohnsen 08:28:36 09/26/05 (0)
- Great essay! (but 2 points) - John Atkinson 08:14:56 09/26/05 (2)
- That couldn't have happened in S&V. - bwkendall 11:22:45 09/27/05 (0)
- You're right - Charles Hansen 11:04:25 09/26/05 (0)
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