The future of hi-fi?

[notaclue]

It's a bit quiet this morning so here is a stimulating topic (with a poll attached to ensure democracy triumphs).

What is the future of hi-fi? By future, I don't mean tomorrow, I mean inten or twenty years. I think the future of hi-fi will be music beamed directly into our brains. Do you think this as well? Or do you think it will still be boxes and speakers?

Or perhaps you think we will have 'sonic projectors' that will project sounds onto our walls without the need for speakers? Maybe computers and broadband (with speakers) will be the future? Or perhaps we might be able to train cats to 'sing' and reproduce various music albums? These "singing cats" will be note-for-note perfect compared to the original recording.

What do you think?

[Duvet]

I chose option three as in twenty years time i want to be the minority. KI yes Ken Ishiwata of Marantz fame was recently quoted in an interview while obviously stoned out of his face on Moroccan ciggies that a neural interface was a possibility but it definitely had to be copper plated. I think he'd been watching Logan 's Run and the red LED on his hand was flashing at the time.

[dudywoxer]

I vote option 3, as obviously I want berger all to do with cats

[SSM]

I picked No. 3 because I believe there will always be a market in the future for quality hifi separates, except it is going to be much smaller than our current situation. It is like the situation with vinyl and historic grammophone players. Their demise was predicted many times, but today they still have their loyal fans and users.

A thing in the future of hifi I am interested in is how Wi-Fi pans out. I cannot wait for the advent of a wireless signal transmitter system that satisfies perfectly on both counts of convenience and high fidelity. Hopefully this will herald theArmageddon of cable companies who keep farting out esoterically-priced products.Unless, such companies come out with esoteric transmitters which give "purer. vibration-free, wireless signal waves".

[dudywoxer]

solidstateman wrote:

I picked No. 3 because I believe there will always be a market in the future for quality hifi separates, except it is going to be much smaller than our current situation. It is like the situation with vinyl and historic grammophone players. Their demise was predicted many times, but today they still have their loyal fans and users.

A thing in the future of hifi I am interested in is how Wi-Fi pans out. I cannot wait for the advent of a wireless signal transmitter system that satisfies perfectly on both counts of convenience and high fidelity. Hopefully this will herald theArmageddon of cable companies who keep farting out esoterically-priced products.Unless, such companies come out with esoteric transmitters which give "purer. vibration-free, wireless signal waves".

Just a sender that will fire through real brick walls would be a big help.

[SSM]

dudywoxer wrote:

Just a sender that will fire through real brick walls would be a big help.

Don't think that is going to be possible within a decade's time. Brick is brick. It would be far easier to use a satelite relay system. See? The signal transmitter in your main hifi room shoots the microwave signals out through the window and 40,000 miles through the earth's atmosphere, to an orbiting satelite which then re-pings the speeding signals 40,000 miles back downonto earth, through your second window and to the receiving transmitter which then feeds your speakers. This service should be cheaper and more efficient than broadband. Mind you, the esoteric hifi satelitte beaming companies (once, esoteric cable companies) that provide such services will claim that the signals' white hot RA-entry into the Earth's atmosphere will burn off any oxygenated impurities in the signals' crystal structure - thereby making the final sound you hear smoother, purer, and full of atmosphere.

[Chewie]

Another vote for No3, I hope it will be the case anyway

[Hawk]

No3 again ;)

I think that HiFi geeks around the world will be trawling the car boot sales and charity shops for ye olde fashioned silver disc... They will be posting comments on forums along the lines of 'i know CD isnt as convienient, but there is something nice about having to put the disc into the drawer, and i like having the artwork and something to touch'

and.....

There will be comments about how the new carlos fandango brain thingy sounds really close to digital . Duvet will insist that his Krell transport/DAC (worth a pie and a pint) cannot be touched by brain thingies costing 15 times as much;)

Russ Andrews will be selling body moisturiser that enhances brainwaves and gives you that really there feeling but someone called CJR will say that E45 cream at a fraction of the cost is better. RA will then change the colour of the cream.

Mr C will still be putting things on cones, Notaclue will stillbuy ice cream cones from asda instead, and Effem will still be burning in his latest batch of silver cable!

Vinyl will be dead thanks to blue peter turning some LPs into coasters! and the rest will be used to power cars as the chinese will have used up all the oil



Hawk

[hifiwigwam]

I have voted for Computers with speakers. HDD's will get so big that the compression issues will no longer be a problem. Audiophile quality Solid State memory may well take over from HDD's and of course will get over the whole "moving parts" issue once and for all.

Once companies such as Arcam, Naim, Rega, MF etc start producing sound cards and maybe external amps specifically for this market the convenience of the solution will soon out weigh any hankering we might have for the old way.

Pooters will definately become the main source component and computer files will definately become the main delivery method for the music industry. All companies dream of selling products and being able to deliver them with out any manufacturing or logistics involved.

This will have sod all to do with HiFi and everything to do with mass market apeal.

Trust me, I am never wrong.

[Umberto]

I voted for number 3 also.

Although i like cats, i think it is highly unlikely you will ever get one to be musical unless its a special cat that has been bread by RA perhaps

[Testure]

For us lot it can only be option 3, but I can see us being an even more of a minority than we already are.The norm will be all computer based, in whatever format that will be in 20 years time, but all data by then (be it music, video, news etc) will be downloaded from central servers to memory. Actualhard media (Vinyl/CD/DVD etc) to purchase will be the thing of the past for the majority.

But I'll be happy playing my old CD's and ancient Vinyl, in the knowledge that my system will never crash or need new patches every 2 days,or be forced to upgrade to a latest version of O/S because I have to. Microsoft Hifi any one??:Upset:

[earl of sodbury]

In the future, music, like food, drink, travel, sex, etc. will be available in Pill form.

Thethree century old hardwired brains-in-a-bucket-of-Glucose of Mick Jagger et al will be downloading rocktastic sounds straight into MegaPharm's plant for distribution that morning; ditto the withered, blotchy, time-ravaged, but still perkily-plastic-titted200 year old husk of Britney Depp.

It's the future: Swallow it, bitches.

:note:eofs

[dudywoxer]

It can not be computer based in the future, they are far, far to CHEAP to bgood enough for Hi-Fi,

[Testure]

Umberto Vanni wrote:

I voted for number 3 also.

Although i like cats, i think it is highly unlikely you will ever get one to be musical unless its a special cat that has been bread by RA perhaps

I can see the ads now. Does your tabby sound screechy, upgrade to a RAKatâ„¢ You can start of with a Burmeise, move up to Siamese and finally go for our reference Pure Golden Persian. For an even purrer sound use RA KattyLitter to remove all impurities.

[notaclue]

Voting has been OK. Not great but quite good.

Interesting to note that the number of people who believe computers will be the future is equal to the number that believe "singing cats" will be the future. I am convinced that one of these two will be the future, and currently think "singing cats" will just edge out computers. I suspect direct-to-brain beamed music will eventually be the future but will take a bit longer.

I don't think the option 3 voters understand the future.

[rockmeister]

In the future, I will be kept alive with intravenous Guiness, whilst lying in a bath of warm camel oil. My music will be performed live by nubile clones of Kylie, programmed to sing or play perfect reproductions of any work I choose. (Complex works will of course require several clones to perform and if it all gets stressful, one to do the application of oil).

I will of course be a rich bastard. Poorer people will still be using singing cats.

[meninblack]

notaclue wrote:

I don't think the option 3 voters understand the future.

I think the option 3 voters have mistakenly answered the question "What was the past of Hi-Fi?"

For this reason it will be safest to discount their votes in the final reckoning.

My own view is that we will need genetic engineering as well as thorough training for the cats.

[dudywoxer]

Option 3 voters would also have voted for black plastic over CD, despite being told it was dead, and silver plant stands were the future.All I can say is (lie lie) roll on digital ears,:pooter:

[kingsxfan]

dudywoxer wrote:

solidstateman wrote:

I picked No. 3 because I believe there will always be a market in the future for quality hifi separates, except it is going to be much smaller than our current situation. It is like the situation with vinyl and historic grammophone players. Their demise was predicted many times, but today they still have their loyal fans and users.

A thing in the future of hifi I am interested in is how Wi-Fi pans out. I cannot wait for the advent of a wireless signal transmitter system that satisfies perfectly on both counts of convenience and high fidelity. Hopefully this will herald theArmageddon of cable companies who keep farting out esoterically-priced products.Unless, such companies come out with esoteric transmitters which give "purer. vibration-free, wireless signal waves".

Just a sender that will fire through real brick walls would be a big help.

There already is a sender that can fire through brick walls for TV and stereo audio. It's just a bit compressed and noisy for audio, it works ona setVHF frequency. A transmitter and receiver. You can buy them to beam the signal from your cable to another TV in the house. Mine has phono's for stereo audio as well.



KxF

[dudywoxer]

kingsxfan wrote:

dudywoxer wrote:

solidstateman wrote:

I picked No. 3 because I believe there will always be a market in the future for quality hifi separates, except it is going to be much smaller than our current situation. It is like the situation with vinyl and historic grammophone players. Their demise was predicted many times, but today they still have their loyal fans and users.

A thing in the future of hifi I am interested in is how Wi-Fi pans out. I cannot wait for the advent of a wireless signal transmitter system that satisfies perfectly on both counts of convenience and high fidelity. Hopefully this will herald theArmageddon of cable companies who keep farting out esoterically-priced products.Unless, such companies come out with esoteric transmitters which give "purer. vibration-free, wireless signal waves".

Just a sender that will fire through real brick walls would be a big help.

There already is a sender that can fire through brick walls for TV and stereo audio. It's just a bit compressed and noisy for audio, it works ona setVHF frequency. A transmitter and receiver. You can buy them to beam the signal from your cable to another TV in the house. Mine has phono's for stereo audio as well.



KxF

tried one, it can cope with two layers of brick, unfortunatley I have two twin brick walls between my wireless server and the main listening area, and any change to this arrangement would cause domestic erruptions far beyond any benefit that may be gained