Are the 272 and the Uniti products 'gateway drugs' to the dark world of hifi addiction?

Living in glorified student housing until you　are in your mid 30s probably does nothing for their chances if buying hifi either.

An ex Naim dealer here in Japan told me the resale value donestically was so low (GBP 500 for a 1 year old 282) because all the audiophiles are literally dying out. Half his customer base literally died. 

It’s got to be a serious issue for the industry. It was brought into sharp focus as I walked down the line at the Bristol show. I seemed to be comfortably the youngest there at 40!!!!

I go to a few exhibitions, and generally the ages appear older and older... I just don’t think exhibitions are as popular for younger people as they once were.... now have a Hi-Fi tent at a music festival and I suspect it will be very different....

I think selling hifi to a lot of people who are covered in mud and have short term tinnitus from being too near the front is an uphill challenge. Getting them to then find the value in seperates in their shared housing arrangement even harder.

It's time for a message of hope: my younger brother - 30 - has bought an UQ2 last year.

Innocent Bystander posted:

Filipe posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

Jan-Erik Nordoen posted:

Music is the addiction, the equipment the delivery system. 

Exactly what I was going to say. Witness the iplayer addiction a decade or two ago, now through phones or whatever. And the pushers charging exhorbitant amounts for low quality  badly produced mush, because they can as the addicts will buy it regardless to get their fixes.

The best solution, other than surgical removal if the ears, is to spend so much on hifi that you can’t afford to keep buying music. But that only contains thing - for a complete cur you need it to be a vinyl system, whence the discs you have will gradually wear out until all you hear is white noise. (But not meaning it will all morph into the album An electric storm.)

 

Good tease with the vinyl. Unfortunately mine is showing no sign of wearing out in my lifetime!

Phil

You need to play it more!

My addiction is pushing me towards a 552 because vinyl sounds even better! Please help me stop this madness!

Jan-Erik Nordoen posted:

Music is the addiction, the equipment the delivery system. But 'gateway' drugs the 272 and Uniti products? No, more like 'get away'.

Worked for me - went from mainlining olive (7 boxes) to Uniti and now totally happy with my Nova 

Bob the Builder posted:

 I do have a few older teenagers and young adults in my life and all of them bar none are so addicted to their smart phones that it isn't even funny.  Between Facebook, Whats App, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat most do not have time for music unless it is in bitesized chunks and delivered by social media and so only those artists who embrace all of that are popular.

 

 

Sorry to take issue with this, but accusations of people [of any age] being addicted to their phones frustrates me. They - we - are not addicted to their phones, we're interested in what phones provide - information, and social interaction at any level from talking directly to each other to catching up on FB etc. Dismissing it as being addicted to the phone is surely by now a trite cliche, imho obviously. My OH had a pop at me on Saturday afternoon, we were out doing nothing more than being at the shops mainly to resolve an issue with our offsprings' phones, when I got the tut because 'you keep staring at your phone'; I had to point out that actually I'm keeping up with the ever changing football scores and am looking at that information, not staring at my phone as if it's some item of beauty that I continually lust after. It is though a brilliant device that I'd have loved to have owned as a youth in the 70s. Regardless, by 16:55 hurrah Leicester had won 4-1 and that was it, it went back into the pocket not to resurface until much later when both of my sisters WhatsApped me with some family info.

Hifi addiction? I've always found it easy to spend what's a comfortable amount at any given point in life's ever-changing cycle, and just as easy to see the pile of boxes and cables as an ugly mess that clutters up the house and that really I ought to get rid of it. I could, I could do that any time I choose. Just not now. I only use it a bit, and only when there's no-one around. But I could give it up tomorrow. Probably.

Chrisr - on the mobile phones issue you are wrong.  I have three grown up daughters, run a business, am a healthcrae professional involved in healthcare IT in my work and all that the involves. I can assure you that a significant proportion of society is now addicted and therfore dependant on mobile phones and social media. This brings opportunity in changing behaviour for the good, but also enormous mental health and mobility health risks. Be careful what you wish for.

pjb_4465 posted:

Chrisr - on the mobile phones issue you are wrong.  I have three grown up daughters, run a business, am a healthcrae professional involved in healthcare IT in my work and all that the involves. I can assure you that a significant proportion of society is now addicted and therfore dependant on mobile phones and social media. This brings opportunity in changing behaviour for the good, but also enormous mental health and mobility health risks. Be careful what you wish for.

This reminds me of the hyped disease 'RSI' which was an important topic when I started working around 2000. Using a computer all day for ones work would make one ill forever.

IMO, people should get used to using these new devices and work / consume it properly. There is no possibility to reduce the usage, just deal with it.

I don’t quite share Bob’s pessimism.   Last night I sat down with my daughters and true we were streaming through a Roberts radio (but very nice tone) but after listening to Radio 6 we played Gregory Porter, Miles and Alt-J. 

Although I personally don’t stream I actually think music is becoming more eclectic.  Rose tinted glasses Mr Builder?

...on a more positive tech spin, the streaming of US based  advert free Paradise Radio (NAIM rec'd) over cat 5 cable into my 272/555PS has actually changed my life to the better, with a wide variety of quality well chosen rock, jazz, blues, folk from all eras, a significant amount of which I have never heard of before ......

I agree with ChrisR that the addiction is not (usually) to the phone. But definitely there is real addiction to social media (often by definition a mosnomer, as much seems more antisocial than social), and to constant contact and response via text, email or whatever (must read that text as soon as received, and respond immediately not wait till after dinner - regardless that said text is about something completely inane and non-urgent). And addiction to games. Maybe even addiction to forums like this.  (Or knowing football scores )

And why do people have their phones etc constantly making noises to attract attention? What is wrong with silent if frequently looking, or vibrate for discreet notification?

Jan-Erik Nordoen posted:

Music is the addiction, the equipment the delivery system. But 'gateway' drugs the 272 and Uniti products? No, more like 'get away'.

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