Interesting. As I am 66, have separate everything. Preamp, amp. DAC, phono preamp, streamer, turntable. But a few months ago I moved into a new house. The house is about that same size etc, but I got this idea in my head, to simplify. I had a lot to do to get this house ready, so 5 months later I'm finally getting around to setting this thing up. During the time here, I've acclimated myself to it's eccentricities. There is a fireplace that has been decommissioned. Gas jet disconnected and it appears the inside and chimney might need some work. Exactly the same as my old fireplace, except - no workie anymore - same era, same BLOCK on the same street! So I got this idea to build a custom rack out of some butcher block pieces I had. Finished it up. But in the meantime, I kept reading about all in one devices of various types. I've been an early streamer, since before all the wonderful stuff we have now. Say 1999-2000. And thanks to my son in law I've been able to experiment with many platforms. I won't go into that. But I'm pretty set where I'm at now. (In case you're wondering, not Roon). So I kept coming back to this little inexpensive "do-hickey from NAD, the C-658. It was almost a finch flinch thing, once I consulted with the son in law and concluded that my other streamers in other parts of the house, on a different platform, could co-exist with the NAD and its BluOs platform. I just finished the "rack". It fits and has a serious 2 inch thick sliding platform for my table. Already a bit of a compromise, I know. The whole rack fits inside the fireplace. But my plan has been to set up everything just the way it was. To give me a starting point. It's not easy to fit it all in, but it's here, though not in the fireplace yet. And now I'm looking at ALL the cables and wires, and I'm really considering just popping the NAD in. I will keep you posted. I've had tens of thousands of dollars, maybe at one point a hundred thousand worth of stuff, but I had to change directions several years ago. And much of my system went vintage. Have spent years upgrading my old Dynaco Preamp, and Quad 909 and even my trusty VPI table went away. But my Maggie's and Vandersteen subs have done just fine. But now, it's going to be tough stuffing all those cables behind the rack inside the relatively small fireplace. But I'm still going to try. We'll see. I guess my whole point is that every week I see yet another product like the NAD coming out from high end manufacturers, and eventually being reviewed by all the big audiophile mags. I'm considering the possibility that the "State of the Art" is becoming more accessible for these all in one boxes. I'm sure the state of the art, meaning separates, will continue to evolve and get even better, but even a 50 year old audiophile, retired hi end audio salesman, is considering when to step off. It's quite the thought for me. Especially, really.
Thanks for watching. You hit the nail on the head. The newer, smaller components have caught up in some ways with their much larger counterparts. Class D, when done properly, can even sound better than some class A/B amps. Younger people, due to economics, priorities, etc, are not wanting the large, high upkeep homes that their parents may have had. Space will be a premium. Gone are the days of a study den with large bookshelves full of books and records. Formal dining rooms are going away as well. Of course, there are always exceptions. I do like your idea of using your unused fireplace as an audio shelf for a/v equipment. I say why not
Hi sir I would say yes and no , in the early 70s when I started on the journey I had limited funds so could only go to a certain level . Then of course house and family’s came along so money for hifi was not a priority . Only when your often of the age you are referring to are funds becoming available . But I do think what will happen is that the quality of sound of even budget equipment will improve to a point it will satisfy all but the most picky of listeners . Best wishes and kind regards. 😀👍👍👍
Yeah. My son is 22. He wants sound arriving from all directions. Two channel is not enough for him. But he does have a good ear and does appreciate good sound. I think financial situation at the beginning of career definitely impacts on their choices. You see it all the time where cars are concerned. Hifi seems to follow suit.
Yes, unfortunately this is what has been happening to the audio industry. It seems the young folks don’t care much for high end sound. They’re quite happy listening to mp3 files playing through a Bluetooth speaker…
![If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/48PxwspDvrE/mqdefault.jpg)
![If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]](/img/tr.png)
Great speech , you're absolutely right ! Cheers from France ;-)✌
Thanks for watching :)
Interesting. As I am 66, have separate everything. Preamp, amp. DAC, phono preamp, streamer, turntable. But a few months ago I moved into a new house. The house is about that same size etc, but I got this idea in my head, to simplify. I had a lot to do to get this house ready, so 5 months later I'm finally getting around to setting this thing up. During the time here, I've acclimated myself to it's eccentricities. There is a fireplace that has been decommissioned. Gas jet disconnected and it appears the inside and chimney might need some work. Exactly the same as my old fireplace, except - no workie anymore - same era, same BLOCK on the same street! So I got this idea to build a custom rack out of some butcher block pieces I had. Finished it up. But in the meantime, I kept reading about all in one devices of various types. I've been an early streamer, since before all the wonderful stuff we have now. Say 1999-2000. And thanks to my son in law I've been able to experiment with many platforms. I won't go into that. But I'm pretty set where I'm at now. (In case you're wondering, not Roon). So I kept coming back to this little inexpensive "do-hickey from NAD, the C-658. It was almost a finch flinch thing, once I consulted with the son in law and concluded that my other streamers in other parts of the house, on a different platform, could co-exist with the NAD and its BluOs platform. I just finished the "rack". It fits and has a serious 2 inch thick sliding platform for my table. Already a bit of a compromise, I know. The whole rack fits inside the fireplace. But my plan has been to set up everything just the way it was. To give me a starting point. It's not easy to fit it all in, but it's here, though not in the fireplace yet. And now I'm looking at ALL the cables and wires, and I'm really considering just popping the NAD in. I will keep you posted. I've had tens of thousands of dollars, maybe at one point a hundred thousand worth of stuff, but I had to change directions several years ago. And much of my system went vintage. Have spent years upgrading my old Dynaco Preamp, and Quad 909 and even my trusty VPI table went away. But my Maggie's and Vandersteen subs have done just fine. But now, it's going to be tough stuffing all those cables behind the rack inside the relatively small fireplace. But I'm still going to try. We'll see. I guess my whole point is that every week I see yet another product like the NAD coming out from high end manufacturers, and eventually being reviewed by all the big audiophile mags. I'm considering the possibility that the "State of the Art" is becoming more accessible for these all in one boxes. I'm sure the state of the art, meaning separates, will continue to evolve and get even better, but even a 50 year old audiophile, retired hi end audio salesman, is considering when to step off. It's quite the thought for me. Especially, really.
Thanks for watching. You hit the nail on the head. The newer, smaller components have caught up in some ways with their much larger counterparts. Class D, when done properly, can even sound better than some class A/B amps. Younger people, due to economics, priorities, etc, are not wanting the large, high upkeep homes that their parents may have had. Space will be a premium. Gone are the days of a study den with large bookshelves full of books and records. Formal dining rooms are going away as well. Of course, there are always exceptions. I do like your idea of using your unused fireplace as an audio shelf for a/v equipment. I say why not
You are 💯 percent correct ! Looking forward to your upcoming video set reminder 😀
Hi sir I would say yes and no , in the early 70s when I started on the journey I had limited funds so could only go to a certain level . Then of course house and family’s came along so money for hifi was not a priority . Only when your often of the age you are referring to are funds becoming available . But I do think what will happen is that the quality of sound of even budget equipment will improve to a point it will satisfy all but the most picky of listeners . Best wishes and kind regards. 😀👍👍👍
Yes, I have to agree, lower-priced does not mean low end sound these days.
Yeah. My son is 22. He wants sound arriving from all directions. Two channel is not enough for him. But he does have a good ear and does appreciate good sound. I think financial situation at the beginning of career definitely impacts on their choices. You see it all the time where cars are concerned. Hifi seems to follow suit.
Very True. Many actually use surround sound bars as their main music system.
A lot of excellent audio equipment will be available for little money!
Mr. Pete--------->
aging hippie
That is a great point!!! Glad I'm not. ab bay boomer, I can take advantage of some of the deals LOL Thanks for watching
Yes, unfortunately this is what has been happening to the audio industry. It seems the young folks don’t care much for high end sound. They’re quite happy listening to mp3 files playing through a Bluetooth speaker…
I think you are right unfortunately