10% of Your Life

I've been visiting with my aunt and uncle in California for a few weeks, and I've noticed that, on average, they spend about two and half hours per night, or 10% of everyday, watching television and movies. I'd guess that this is fairly average for most families in the USA.

About a year ago they purchased a 50" Panasonic plasma. I don't know exactly what they paid, but I'm guessing it was around $1,500. It has a really nice picture, and they love it even more now that they have seen a Blu-ray disc played on it through my PS3. As far as picture goes, they are all set.

The sound, however, is a different story.

It is a struggle, for my uncle especially, to understand dialogue coming through the built-in speakers on the TV. I hooked up my little Audioengine A2s and they have provided some relief, but being desktop computer speakers (though damn good ones) they are not appropriate for this application because they cannot provide enough volume to make dialogue easily intelligible. At a minimum, a pair of decent bookshelf speakers and some kind of receiver is needed. Not "nice to have", but needed just so that one can easily understand what the actors are saying. This could be accomplished for around $600 or about one third of what they paid for the TV that they spend 10% of their lives sitting in front of.

Yet, somehow, a decent sound system isn't perceived to be as urgent a purchase as a new set of flatware for dinner parties that will be used just a few times a year. Why is this? I believe it is because it is nearly impossible to communicate the benefits of high performance audio through traditional advertising media. If you pick up a Macy's catalogue and flip to the flatware section it is pretty easy to pick out which sets you like and why you like them. Step two is going down to your local Macy's to see and touch them in person.

With audio, because the brain does a pretty good job of adapting to lousy sound, people usually don't feel compelled to go out and buy new audio equipment unless what they are currently using is obviously broken. In order to get consumers to buy they need to be given a good demonstration of the benefits of high performance audio, and this happens very rarely.

The big box stores are hopeless, and very few people venture into specialty retailers (which are disappearing anyways) where they have a fighting chance of getting a good demo. Probably the best chance for someone to get a good demo is at the home of a friend or a relative who has decent equipment (rare) that is set up properly (rarer still). What kind of business can survive this way where sales depend on a haphazard set of circumstances?

I'll continue these thoughts in part 2.

The Lexicon/Oppo Debacle

If you're a home theater enthusiast then by now you've probably heard about the fiasco involving Lexicon essentially repackaging an Oppo BDP-83 in a lovely case and charging $3500 for it. If you have not, here it is:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/lexicon-bd-30-blu-ray-oppo-clone

Like a lot of boutique electronics manufacturers, I think that Lexicon is struggling to survive in an environment where rapid technological advancement and globalization keep working to make them less relevant every day.

I think that if Lexicon thought they could have really made performance improvements to the BDP-83 then they would have. I can't imagine that they really wanted to simply stick an Oppo in a Lexicon wrapper and send it out the door.

Wealthy people aren't stupid, and these days they watch their pennies just like everyone else. They don't want to pay $3000 for a case, especially when the gear is going into a rack in a closet and won't be visible most of the time anyways. I'm sure there are a few guys out there who will pay up for the Lexicon, but there are a lot less than there were a few years ago, and I'm sure Lexicon knows that better than anyone else.

What's bad for outfits like Lexicon also happens to be great for the consumer. The fact that Lexicon has decided that a $500 blu-ray player performs well enough to bear their name says a lot about how much performance is available today for relatively few dollars.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I'm going to be sharing my thoughts on sound reproduction and things related to the home theater and hifi industry.

I take a practical approach to home theater and audio, and I like products that deliver real value. Hopefully I'll also be able to share some helpful tips and info along the way.