"Young Gun Blogger" hmmm nice handle

The Peachtree and every dock like it are pointless introspections as they preclude proper usage of the Ipod -- which is meant to be hand-held. If you're hoping the Ipod will invigorate audiophile sales wait until the onboard wi-fi can stream digital audio to such devices directly. Such a devekopment cannot be more than 1-2 generations away, while putting overpriced and overcomplicated 'music servers' to bed at a stroke...

Peachtree's ipod-enabled products (and others like it) are not pointless since some of us actually have friends IRL that come over and want to share music by plugging in an ipod. I have a 1st generation Peachtree Decco connected to a squeezebox classic, and while it sounds great playing my files there is a lot to be desired when a friend plugs in their ipod with a simple 1.5mm to stereo out cable. If I could trade up to a Peachtree iDecco I would. Any incentives Mr. Solomon?

Oh my, "...friends IRL"? I'm so rumbled -- clearly I don't have any real-life friends: at least not the sort who are discommoded by 1.5 mm jack over a 30-pin dock connector!Doesn't really need saying, but you are a sad sack indeed...

You're right, Stephen. Music, not gear, is the answer. I think one person who understands that well is John DeVore. Your monkeyhaus posts have put his products at the top of my 'must hear' list. A huge marketing coup, and all he had to do was spring for beer. Espen's article has hi-fi asking, "How can we get THEM to come to US?" That's exactly the wrong question. As technologies change, businesses need to adapt to meet customers' needs. Because customers sure aren't going to adapt themselves to meet a business model. Yes, Napster weaned a generation on lossy files and earbuds. iTunes still shuns lossless. But look at the resurgence of vinyl. Look at all the Beats headphones on airplanes. Good sound is becoming fashionable. Hi-fi needs to work on looking cool, and going where the music is. At my favorite record shop (in hipster-rific Silverlake, CA) the owner spins tunes for customers on a cherry red mmf 2.2. When people ask about the table, wouldn't it be great if he could point to a copy of Stereophile?

Also... DavePage, the streaming capability you envision has actually already been around for 1-2 generations. As it happens, I'm using a service called rdio to stream Van Morrison's 'Astral Weeks' to my rickety old iphone 3G as I write this.

I agree!! It is not the gear, but the music that is the key. I have read the Monkeyhaus columns and have decided to host something similar using my system as the interpreter of whatever music my friends decide to bring over to play. Whether it us vinyl, CD, SACD or digital I will be able to play it through my system and let us all share the music.

I believe in order to pass hi fidelity on to the current generation, magazines like stereophile, manufacturers and retailers have to do a better job of letting consumers know that much better quality can be had at reasonable prices.Stereophile needs to dedicate much more space to its budget components section. Think about many luxury car makers: they realized that they can build brand loyalty by having entry level vehicles at a reasonable price so that as their consumers mature, they move up the line. This hobby is no different.Build (and actively market) stereophile or a spinoff magazine to cater to this generation. Start with the very basics that new audiophiles don't know and veterans take for granted. And advertise it in the right places!With brands like NuForce, AudioEngine, Grado Labs et al, you can spread the word...er, sound.

Personally, I feel that the biggest issue HE audio has is that the all important "WHY" has gone completely missing.Why should anyone care about HE audio? Why should a teen or twen buy into a notion that a $3k DAC is better than the free line out from their MBPro/Air/iOS device?That's the problem...

DavePage, were we only as sage and wise as you. Is it dreary knowing all, seeing all? It must be as you come across as a cranky fart. Posters like you rarely abandon the axe you so diligantly grind. Maybe you should just scram.Trey

Lots of great comments here. Thanks, everyone.Mike: The Beats model is interesting because they're selling the idea of good sound. The headphones, in my opinion, are overpriced for the sound they offer, but come beautifully packaged and wonderfully marketed. So, people are willing to pay more for something that sounds okay if they think what they're buying is cool. I want to believe that people are paying for the sound, but I suspect they're paying for the Beats logo, for a fashion statement, and for a connection to urban life.So, I agree with you. And, yes, there are many intersections of good music and good sound, and Stereophile needs to be at the center of all of them.

It is not the gear, but the music that is the key. I have read the Monkeyhaus columns and have decided to host something similar using my system as the interpreter of whatever music my friends decide to bring over to play. Whether it us vinyl, CD, SACD or digital I will be able to play it through my system and let us all share the music.That is great, John! If you like, please let me know how it goes. Send me some pictures and I'll post them here on the blog.

Stereophile needs to dedicate much more space to its budget components section.Matthew, starting with our January issue, we'll have a new column called "The Entry Level," in which I'll attempt to uncover lots of great affordable gear. We currently have on hand products from several companies, including Audioengine, NuForce, Rega, Klipsch, Sumiko, Wharfedale, and Music Hall.

I feel that the biggest issue HE audio has is that the all important "WHY" has gone completely missing. Why should anyone care about HE audio? Why should a teen or twen buy into a notion that a $3k DAC is better than the free line out from their MBPro/Air/iOS device? That's the problem...Hey Danny. I agree that "Why?" is a great question. My answer is always "Music." Hi-fi makes better music. Some people will care enough and others won't, and that's just the way it is. I do think we can do more to nurture that care in young people. And we can do this by sharing the love of music with them. But it has to start when they're very young. Audiophiles need to bring their families into their listening rooms and let them play. Traditions are built through sharing.

"Also... DavePage, the streaming capability you envision has actually already been around for 1-2 generations. As it happens, I'm using a service called rdio to stream Van Morrison's 'Astral Weeks' to my rickety old iphone 3G as I write this."Not quite what I was referring to Mike -- you're talking about streaming music TO an Iphone; I'm talking about streaming music FROM an Iphone / Ipod TO an amplifier using the wifi capability of the device. This will likely be just Bluetooth and analogue to begin with, but you can bet it will be digital soon after. Imagine that: a music server in your hand sending interference-free bit perfect digital audio over wireless to an Ipod certified amp. The audiophile manufacturers (NAD, Tact, Lyngdorf, Wadia) will be lining up for this one, and rickety Peachtree's and the like that you have to walk over to use will be history.Trey. Yes, it is nice to have knowledge. Try it and perhaps your message wouldn't be so full of errors. Enjoy shaking your fist at a distance, Dufus?

"Enjoy shaking your fist at a distance, Dufus?"Not as much as some.But the first part of your post was informative and civil. Keep that up and you will become an important and accepted member of a fun group.Good job.Trey

Since Stephen is my fave audio blogger, it’s big fun to follow this discussion jumping off from my article. One of the reasons I admire Stephen so much is that he doesn’t just stand pat on the “hi-fi will always be with us as long as music never dies” credo he expresses in his post up top, but he also actively pursues and chronicles the joys of a companionable, non-fogey, music-centric approach to audio that isn’t hyperfocused on price tags you can only see with the Hubble telescope. Among these comments I probably agree most with Matthew, but everyone else’s (civil) points of view are thought-provoking too. And I’m really looking forward to Stephen’s new print column.

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