Design Technica just published Mark Fleischmann’s passionate take on Why High-End Audio Matters. I’m not quite as dogmatic as he is — I’m listening to "background music" off of a Portable Media Center as I write this, and I’m much more likely to be immersed in home theater than two channel audio — but his basic points are well taken:
- Component audio sales are down while iPod sales are way up.
- Most consumers today don’t know what high quality audio sounds like.
- The audio industry is isolationist, hastening its own demise.
- High end audio is not necessarily high priced (Mark specifically points to Outlaw Audio and Paradigm).
- We are hearing more music than ever in our lives, but actively listening to less and less.
- High end audio is an exciting, immersive experience.
-avi
