The Home Stereos That Refuse to Die

MLZ

You guys already know this, but it an interesting story in a mainstream, non-audiophile publication



http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704259304575043291501686992.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5"]In todays Wall Street Journal[/URL]



The Home Stereos That Refuse to Die
Once Thought Doomed by Digital, Turntables and Other Old-School Components Keep on Grooving

Ed Sherman grew up listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Police on a record player in his parents' Hazard, Ky., living room. Now 29 and a registered nurse, Mr. Sherman still likes to listen to classic rock the old-fashioned way—and just bought 1970's-era Marantz stereo on eBay. He's also in the market for a Rega record player.

"I'd like to complete that vintage sound," says Mr. Sherman.

For many, $1 songs and $100 players have replaced $20 CDs and $1,000-dollar stereo systems. But not for Mr. Sherman and other audiophiles, many of whom cling to cabinets full of music components and milk crates of albums. Hardly Luddites—many also have MP3 players and listen to Internet radio—these are the folks who refuse to give up the superior sound of older technology.

"On an MP3, the sound is compressed," Mr. Sherman says. "So a lot of the sound that was meant to be heard is gone. On the record, you get the full spectrum of sound."

While there's still a demand for high-end audio components, they're mostly meant for home-theater systems. And even those sales are slipping. In 2008, $2.18 billion in home-theater systems, compact-audio systems and separate audio components like stereo receivers and speakers were sold, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. This year, that number is projected to fall to $1.6 billion.

"The decline in audio categories was well under way before last fall when the recession really started to hit," says Ross Rubin, a consumer-electronics analyst with market-research company NPD Group. "For home audio, it has been largely due to the influx of PCs and iPods as music-playback devices in the home."

Like Mr. Sherman, Karla Rodriguez grew up listening to her parents' collection of albums, eight-track tapes and cassettes—all played on speakers the size of small filing cabinets. Today, when she has a yen for Lady Gaga or Kings of Leon, she boots up her laptop to play songs from her iTunes collection or, more commonly, listens to music-streaming Web sites like Pandora.

"Stereo equipment seems obsolete," says Ms. Rodriguez, a 31-year-old marketing director for an architecture and construction company from Claremont, Calif. "We are trying to keep everything as clutter-free as possible."

She typifies the new norm in consumer listening habits. For many music fans these days, especially young ones, that means MP3 players and docking systems. In fact, MP3 docks are one of the few areas in the home-audio industry that is seeing growth. In 2008, 8.2 million units were shipped by manufacturers. That's expected to grow to 10 million in 2010, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

Other manufacturers are focusing on integrating their stereo equipment with consumers' home Wi-Fi networks so they can play music wirelessly throughout the home. Manufactures are also making home media servers where people can store and play thousands of CDs and digital music files.

Waning interest in stereo components "is mostly attributed to how consumers live their lives nowadays," says Troy Livingston, a product manager with Panasonic Corp. "Most of the time it's in an iPod or something that is portable." That's why the majority of the home-audio market is concerned with iPods and iPhone connectivity, Mr. Livingston says.

IPods may be more convenient, but "I don't like the way they sound," says Bob Abramson, another audio purist who has been selling vinyl records—and only vinyl records—at House of Oldies in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

He experienced some lean years during the '80s and '90s. But about two years ago, a strange thing happened. Young people started coming in and buying records. Sales have been up 20% since. "I never thought it would completely dry up, but I never expected kids to buy it," he says. "Ten years ago I couldn't give them away. Now people are paying me for Duran Duran records."

Despite the resurgent interest in vinyl records, don't expect them to replace MP3s, says Dave Bales, manager of audio products for Pioneer Electronics Inc.'s home-business group. Analog music was a bit too technical—whether it was an album or a reel-to-reel, he says. "Now with iTunes and iPods, you aren't sitting down and doing that critical thinking anymore," he says.

Atane Ofiaja, a 29-year-old record collector in Staten Island, N.Y., still enjoys the experience of listening to albums and CDs. "There is no tangible aspect to music today," he says. "With vinyl, you get to hold the record, look at the album art and the liner notes."

He mainly buys high-audio-quality jazz and classical CDs and vinyl records, and his stereo system set him back several thousand dollars. His love of jazz comes from hearing his parents enjoy Fela Kuti, a famous Nigerian musician.

Still Mr. Ofiaja says he likes that MP3 players have made it easier for casual music fans to learn more about music. "I love records, but you got to adapt,"he says.

I-SIG

Nice article.

That dude in NY looks like he has a pretty decent rig going in that picture.

Wes