Seasons Greetings 2023 and Some Year End Musings.

It’s that Time Again…

Every year when our collective calendars get to the mid-December mark, I can’t help but marvel at how quickly the year has gone by. And this has been the busiest year for us here at SECRETS. We’ve been producing more reviews, visiting different manufacturers, reporting on more shows, and generally getting back to the business of covering all the aspects of hi-fi and home theater that we are known for. It finally feels like we are back in full swing.

Next year is particularly special for us as we are looking forward to celebrating our 30th Anniversary. Thirty years! That is a heck of a long time to be doing anything these days and we would be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to give thanks to all those who keep us going.

To the Co-Editors, writers, and contributors to Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity, you are a most gifted and talented group of individuals who provide this website with the continuous source of relevant content that it needs to survive and thrive. You are a 20+ strong army of creators, audio & video junkies, and more importantly, a reflective slice of the AV community that we serve. Thank you. Without your continued efforts, we would not be here.

To our readers. Without you, yes even those of you who give us the occasional hard time in our comments sections, we would not be able to keep doing what we do. Thank you for continuing to keep us bookmarked on your tablets, smartphones, and web browsers. Some have been with us since the very beginning, and we’ve loved having you along for the ride! As SECRETS enters its 30^th year, we look forward to continuing to be a trusted source of information for you the reader, along with generally sharing our enthusiasm for all things AV.

To Advontemedia and Systems Solutions, our longstanding web partners and support teams, thank you for your skill and professionalism, for keeping this site humming along, and for continuing to roll with us through thick and thin.

We are also grateful to our sponsors, many of whom have been supportive of our efforts for the longest time. This is, at the end of the day, a business enterprise, and without our advertisers, we could not pay our staff, and our web team, and keep the lights on. Thank you for your continued trust and support.

So, on behalf of the Johnson family, our Co-Editors, reviewing staff, contributors, and myself, we wish you and yours all the joy, love, and hope of the season.

Season’s Greetings to all!

A Few Year-End Thoughts from the EIC.

On a more personal note, this year saw me doing a fair bit of traveling for both audio shows and manufacturer visits. Through this process of hitting most of the US regional and a couple of international shows, I’ve been putting together a few thoughts about the current state of hi-fi. This had particularly been spurred by my last visit to Toronto. I had met up for coffee with Secrets reviewer Taps Das and we were having a spirited discussion about this very subject. Taps may post a separate article of his own thoughts, but we spent an enjoyable few hours bouncing things off each other.

In my travels, some of the points or subjects that many people’s conversations seem to center on this year were, firstly, 2023 was not the best year financially for many audio and video manufacturers. This was not so much an issue for those who specialize in either the very high-end or the ultra-affordable ends of the market. It seems buyers at either extreme were still buying, and their behavior remained consistent. It seems to be that big swath of the mid-fi to just entering high-end territory is where much of the pain of reduced spending is being felt.

Secondly, the evergreen subject of how the hi-fi industry will die if we don’t find some way (and quickly) to get a younger crowd into the hobby was as strong as ever. This sort of fear-talk mainly comes up at a number of the regional US shows where the general age of the attendees approaches the demographic of regular Geritol users. The lack of younger attendees, interested women, and diverse ethnicities to domestic audio shows is a perennial harbinger of doom and gloom for industry press and prognosticators out there.

Thirdly, for as much gnashing of teeth, as there is out there for various aspects of this business, fascination, hobby (whatever you want to call it), I continue to be steadfast in my belief that there is more about audio and video that brings us together than sets us apart. I’m exceedingly grateful for the bit-part I play in the industry press. It has afforded me, especially this year, the opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people, both here and abroad, who share the same sort of manic enthusiasm for music, video, and the gear that reproduces it all. Especially at this time of year, I consider this a true blessing.

Delving into these points a little deeper.

 The economy being what it has been this past year, I’ve been seeing more Black Friday and seasonal discounting on hi-fi gear than I have ever observed before. That can’t be good for most mainstream manufacturers. When people were locked down and couldn’t travel or do a lot of the usual social activities, manufacturers were flush with unexpected sales.

Unfortunately, after many of those companies had ramped up production to meet demand, oftentimes at higher costs due to the supply chain issues we were experiencing, we saw a cooling in consumer spending, leaving many brands with an excess of inventory. There is no telling how long difficult economic conditions, along with the associated consumer sentiment and ever-burgeoning credit card debt, will ultimately last, but it’s gotten me to thinking whether hi-fi companies should look for more creative ways, outside of audio shows, to generate awareness and potential sales. I realize that this sounds slightly sacrilegious given how much we cover audio shows, but this also ties in with the perceived lack of interest from that younger crowd or the less informed consumer.

Going to the Audio Video Show in Poland this year was a bit of an eye-opener. I’ve never seen such a diverse crowd of people at any audio show I’ve attended that wasn’t strictly devoted to headphones. We’re talking attendees of all ages, genders, and family units; hell, even a few pets were attending with their owners! On more than a few occasions I witnessed kids attending with their parents, who were listening to systems, asking questions, and requesting music! The same goes for the higher level of female attendance and the genuine interest I observed among them too. This doesn’t happen over here in the USA. And despite the domestic show organizer’s best efforts in attracting a comparable attendee makeup, I don’t think it’s something you can force or expect to change in the short term. In Poland’s case, I think it is more of a cultural thing that grew organically over the years, especially after the fall of Communism.

When it comes to the US market, perhaps audio companies (and their distributors) need to be more proactive and start going more to where people are as opposed to expecting people to come to them. For example, every major metropolitan area in the US has an annual “Home and Garden” or “Home Remodeling” show. What would it take for an audio company to partner with perhaps a home furnishings brand, a kitchen & bath, or an outdoor living brand and set up targeted audio systems in those display areas of the show? Just have them play some background music to complete the picture.

Would show-goers, who may not have otherwise had audio on their minds, experience these systems in a more relatable environment and possibly add audio for consideration in their next home project? Or even discover a perfect system for their den that sounds so much better than the Sonos or BT speakers they currently have? How about partnering with a trendy independent coffee shop? Have an audio manufacturer set up a system at a local coffee shop and just play music. Or better yet, have a DJ in on a weekend and spin some vinyl while people enjoy their brew. Not everyone wants to be a die-hard audiophile, but most people are open to a better experience if they can see it and hear it in their day-to-day lives.

Both Sonus faber and McIntosh have made headlines this year partnering with Jeep and Maserati for automotive systems. Well, how about they have a modest home system set up at specific partner dealerships, playing music while people shop for their next ride? Any audio manufacturer that has an in-car audio relationship with a car company should have a bespoke home audio system set up in the waiting lounges of said car dealers for people to experience while they are waiting for their repairs and oil changes.

Do you see where I’m going with this? All sorts of permutations can be exploited here. An audio company or distributor (with a little research) can bring their brand to the consumer without relying on an audio show and reach an audience that they might not otherwise tap. And consumers, no matter who they are, will naturally want to gravitate to something that sounds better if the difference is clear and it fits their lifestyle. Don’t get me wrong, I am not calling for the end of audio shows at all. Frankly, I wish more of them would have more affordable product rooms to balance against all the higher-end gear that naturally is featured at these events. The now-defunct RMAF show had the right idea with its series of affordable rooms that were capped at various budgets.

Ultimately my point is, with the economy being what it is, gone are the days of the consumer handing you fistfuls of cash to upgrade their systems for riding out the lockdowns. Audio companies need to be more creative and proactive and meet consumers where they are and not where they hope they’ll be.

And while we’re at it, we need to just stop with the whole “We need to find a way to bring young people into the audiophile hobby or everything is going to collapse” mentality. Just stop it already. Have you been to a CanJAM recently? Pick one, any location, and you will find that young audiophiles are already out there, in droves. They are sharp, discerning, and very diverse, and they are digging their personal audio, big time!

And if they have money, they are not afraid to spend it as evidenced by the ever-increasing prices of the very best headphones and associated gear. This my friends was EXACTLY where it started for me when I was young. In high school with a Toshiba Walkman and the best pair of Sony headphones I could afford. Now it could just as easily be a DAP from Shanling or a DAC/Amp from iFi Audio with headphones from HIFIMAN or ZMF, just to pull names out of the air. When you are young, your space, your means, and your time (if you’re somewhat responsible) are limited. So, if you care enough (and you must if you’re attending a CanJAM show), it’s all about getting the best “personal audio” experience you can afford.  As you get older (all things being equal), your space, means, and time should increase to varying degrees, opening up the possibilities for a nice home system of some sort. Emphasis on “nice” because your expectations have already been set to a high bar. It’s the “Circle of Audiophile Life” my friends. Rest assured while we grumpy old audio show “ravers” eventually age out of the system, so to speak, these “young-ins are waiting in the wings and warming up the benches to take our places.

So, please, everyone just relax, take a breath, and slowly step back from the edge of the abyss.

And finally, when I started at SECRETS 11 years ago as a reviewer, I thought the most amazing part of my job was going to be all the different types of gear I would get a chance to review. Fast forward to now, and while I still have that complete kid-in-a-candy-store fascination with hi-fi, it is many of the people that I encounter and get to know through my job that have been the real treat for me. The passion for audio and video that my colleagues and industry folks share (many of whom I can legitimately call friends) is genuine and infectious. I have learned and grown a lot through my hours of friendly discussions and the breaking of bread with these folks, and I believe it has made me a better person. I’ve discovered that while we may disagree on all manner of other subjects out there, it is that deep-rooted love for audio and video that brings out our better selves and is a common ground that we can all relate to and build on. While nothing is perfect, this hobby, on its best days, is very good at bringing us all closer together. And, at this time of year, next to being with my family, and watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas (or listening to Vince Guaraldi), it is something I treasure very much.

So, with that, I’d like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here’s to an even better 2024. Be safe, be well, and be good to each other.

Carlo Lo Raso

Editor-In-Chief