Paul's Posts — 17 September 2011
By Paul McGowan
People don’t change, but circumstances do.
It’s always interesting to me when I hear someone wring their hands and point out that people aren’t the way they used to be. They’ve changed.
I think typical of what you might hear is something like this:
They no longer appreciate good music.
They’re perfectly happy with MP3
The younger generation doesn’t care about quality of anything
But of course we’re the same people we have always been. Our circumstances have changed and so have we in response.
Our daily lives are different than the lives of past generations. We have more choices and information than anyone could have ever imagined just ten years ago and the rate of change is exponential. Of course we’re “different”.
The question we as an industry should be asking ourselves is, how do we fit in? How do we take advantage of this changing landscape?
From my perspective, we’re embracing all the new technology.
We understand that people’s desire to have a great listening experience in the home has never gone away – they just want it instantly and they want it so every member of the family can enjoy it as well.
The days of the audio sanctuary are rapidly going away.
The days of the high-end available anywhere anyone wants it are upon us.
What are you doing to be a part of this change?
Forward to a friend and help us engage more readers
Related Articles
Share
About Author
(6) Readers Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Gordon
We live in a new world that provides sensory overload everywhere we go.
Technology now there’s a word we use almost daily while our ancestors added “bah humbug” when they used it.
Audio nerds sitting in the basement cave ogling funny little boxes with tubes and wires sticking out of them. Oh yes and they had to be suspended by bunjie cords or sitting on little brass points to make them sound a little better?
“my dad and his friends are a bit weird”.
Adding a dvd video image to a live concert involves a delivered image rather than an imaginary one and is much more powerful and, may I say more easily involving.
The more senses we we stimulate, the more involved we become and in today’s world it is available to us without having to patch it together by ourselves.
Hopefully, our “new world” generation will demand that the emphasis is on the involvement experience rather than electronic specs.
Those of us who still have spec sheets and user manuals on our coffee tables are dinosaurs.
Paul McGowan
Boy, you hit the nail on the proverbial head. Thanks Gordon.
fig
As someone who does a lot of AV installation work in relatively small market, sound quality is always important to my current client base, but few are audiophiles and willing to pay for the type of sound quality we, who are reading this, are willing to pay.
Most of my customers, who, like me, are over 55, are looking for music for their homes and many of them are already using iPods for music in their homes. They are also increasingly using Apple TV and for these folks convenience comes before sound quality. However, products like the PS Audio PWD makes it possible to get both great sound and convenience, so Paul is correct when he tells us to embrace new technology and to integrate it into our daily lives the way most people do, he is right on. Convenience does not mean we can’t have great music and great sound quality.
Paul McGowan
Agreed, thanks. I use the Apple TV at home for convenience, but I get a headache if it’s on all day. It’s great for occasional listening. The PWD, on the other hand (or any well designed streaming DAC) should provide hours of listening with zero fatigue. I can’t wait till we can bring out lower cost versions so more people can enjoy the benefits of networked high-end audio.
fig
I’m so happy with the sound quality I am getting through the PWD and the bridge. My analog still reins supreme in terms of absolute sound quality, but I sure enjoy listening to my digital sources and being able to select tracks I want to hear in a matter of seconds. Lower cost versions that are anywhere close to the PWD should be a real winner!!
Paul McGowan
Thanks. Indeed, I believe they would. Of course they would not be able to rival what you have in the PWD, but they could sure beat out anything else! We’re a long way from releasing anything, but that’s where we’re headed.