Style:
Lure them in with style, they’ll (learn to) hear the substance. Design gear to fit into people’s lifestyles and they’ll be more likely to welcome it in. Without a doubt, gear designers today are trying to design products that look cool, beautiful, intelligent and appropriate to the hobby of high-end audio. My surveys over the years have turned up very few companies one would really say design a beautiful product that could stand on its own for its sheer style alone. Who wants style without substance? No one, and I would say that of the companies I have found creating very sophisticated looking gear, gear that can easily fit into people’s lives physically and aesthetically, are companies already skilled at creating fantastic sounding gear that competes with the best in high-end audio. Companies such as Chord with their Choral system; Sudgen with their Bijou system, Audio Analog with their Primo system, the Eclipse speaker system with dedicated amplifiers… just to name a few. I am always looking to find out about more, so please email me with any.
As I mentioned in a reply to a post at Sonicflare.com, I believe price range will be key, as I can see a range (for a complete system) of between $400 and $2000 to be comfortable, as this is a range consumers are used to spending on cool gear from a new Xbox 360 system to a new Apple MacBook Pro, and even higher possible like the expense of a flat-panel TV.
Connectivity:
Lure them in with connectivity (to their portable players, wireless networks, etc.) they be more likely to buy/use the gear and then hear the difference.
This is starting to happen in high-end audio with better sounding D/A converters connected via USB cable or other digital connections such as the Monarchy Audio M24 preamplifier that I am now reviewing for Dagogo.com. I can easily connect my Apple Airport Express digitally to the M24 with an optical cable, and let the M24 work its magic with a tube output stage. I send the tunes wirelessly from my laptop using iTunes and am in sonic heaven. Other companies such as Wavelength Audio, have introduced similar items to better connect to our current and favorite tools. Some of these items are even attractive and could fit with the ipod or powerbook aesthetic.
Publicity:
Bose is a company we would like to dislike, (cause their stuff just doesn’t sound very good) but they are masters at marketing. Similarly companies like Tivoli and Bang and Olufsen might have audiophiles turn their noses up, but these companies have found a way to be highly successful and reach the masses with their products. Sonos is a company that reputable has better sound than those previously mentioned, has cool looking designs and functionality that really fits into today’s technical habits. Sonos is even doing a great job with marketing.
We all know, once you get started and learn to hear the difference and understand the enhancement high-end audio can bring to your musical enjoyment, then there’ no turning back and fighting the upgrade bug. The upgrade bug is what keeps this industry alive and maturing along with its customers
Love:
As in love for music.
Here’s one thing the over 30 crowd can do to help the industry/hobby along… bring your children along. Make music (high-end music) a family affair equal to that of watching a movie together. When the kids are really young, you can start with narrated stories. When they start to get older, move to dance tracks… little kids love to dance. When they start to get a little older, let them learn musical history through your oldies. And even more importantly, let them teach you a thing or two about their current favorite music. Have it become a two-way dialog!
Just like we might bring our spouses into this hobby by having hem experience it with us, so can we do the same with our kids. They may drop interest at some point, as some other new cool thing takes control of their excitement, but they will never forget, and eventually, when they’re able to afford the higher end stuff, remember fondly their parent’s enthusiasm and want to relive that experience.
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Sidebar: There's more thoughts going on around the topic of high-end audio preservation and propagation over at The A5: The Allied Association for the Advancement of the Audible Arts.
You’ll soon see my first post on SonicFlare.com. There’s some really good audio e-zines out there and SonicFlare is one of my favs. I just love the idea of a blog format for audio gear reviews, new technology, audio opinion pieces and industry news. The availability of immediate response is what sets it apart from other e-zines... and in my opinion the most appropriate form for the medium. I’ve got some great gear slated to review for SonicFlare and am really happy of their system approach to reviewing and desire to reach new audiences and help them understand the experience of great audio gear. Check back soon for links to my articles for SonicFlare and join me there for active discussion and commentary.
