Why Are Hi-Fi Systems Not Very Popular Today?

by James Leahy

To do Hi-Fi properly you require very good equipment compared to a similar priced Home Theatre system. Why is this? There are factors such as, marketing, economies of scale, advertising, distributor networks and labor costs involved.

Home Theatre systems not only offer more bang for your buck but are generally better suited to acting as virtual babysitter's for customers with kids or those of us with short attention spans. I would estimate that 90% of my customers fall into this basket. Hi-Fi systems generally require more concentration and sophistication in the users behaviour levels to become effective. With even the most basic home theatre system it is all too easy to switch off the brain cells and put the mind into autopilot while being entertained with dazzling special effects and loud bangs & crashes. Gone are the days when the average person would sit down to listen to a complete album. I have noticed it myself even when demonstrating a system to customers I find most cannot even make it through one song while evaluating a component before becoming restless and fidgety.

Take a minute and ask yourself when was the last time you saw a valve amplifier of any description or brand at your local chain electronics store. Never.....? This is because more and more electronics stores today including some very famous specialized local Hi-Fi dealers that used to be only into stereo and vacuum tube systems now don't sell any valve equipment at all. Why is this you may ask.... Sadly they are solely driven by profit margins alone and the necessity to turn stock over at a brake neck pace to satisfy greedy local distributors rather than offering an uncompromising dedication to providing the best in sound reproduction quality to their customers. These dealers are unwilling to even invest in stocking valve based equipment for their customer to listen to and would rather display the latest plasma or surround sound receiver in the window because that is what 'sells' and it is all about fast turnover today and fat profit margins.

Vacuum tube Hi-Fi distribution and auditioning is far from optimum today but like countless other things in this world there is the way it should be and there is the way it is. Do not let the lack of commercial exposure of quality vacuum tube products dissuade you from checking them out for yourself even if you have to venture off the beaten path. The additional benefits and higher performance that can be achieved I can assure you are both well worth the extra effort.

In other cases a lot of the time people are told what they 'should' buy by a salesperson, instead of making the bold decision to trust their own ears and letting themselves be the judge. In fact, the person who has just moved into Hi-Fi as a hobby will probably be distressed to find they cannot even hear major changes in system configuration. This takes time to perfect just like any other skill. Simply because they have not yet learned what part of the audio spectrum to listen to for a small change in a specific frequency range. After weeks or months though they will usually find to their amazement that they can hear subtle differences in the smallest changes to loudspeaker and interconnect cables.

After all it is you who will be listening to your system not anybody else. So who cares if it sounds great to anyone else but you. Take it from me, there are no 'special' qualifications one requires to determine a good sounding Hi-Fi system other than a willingness to invest some time effort in listening to many different systems.

How many people today have even taken the time to listen to a good quality valve based Hi-Fi system before making a significant purchasing decision. Too often it is based solely on price, stock availability and marketing forces or reviews. Many stores do not have ANY valve equipment in stock to demonstrate to the customer, if this is the case in your area I would suggest you make the decision to find one that does.

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