Issue 90    July/August 2012
Significant Trends In Audio
Editorial By Alan Sircom

 Audio may not be the fastest moving stream in technology, but it's not stagnant. Significant changes do occur in the audio world periodically, and we are witnessing one of those changes in the pages of this issue. Because this month, two of the products featured are loudspeaker systems designed to work either on a wall or actually in the wall itself.

The logic is inescapable. Floor space is fast becoming a valuable commodity in modern life, increasingly people are using their wall-mounted TV set as an entertainment hub (even if surround sound didn't prove quite the high-end draw it was expected to be) and people want their audio systems to be the opposite of Victorian children; heard, but not seen. Traditionally, this has meant compromise, usually in terms of performance, but some of the latest designs work with the boundary to provide first-rate sound as well as nothing to see. Yes, this will probably always be a minority topic in specialist audio, and is often difficult to demonstrate, but it's an important aspect of today's audio system that should not be overlooked.

There is also a couple of significant trends in audio. The first is the call for digitising your analogue – as more people move to a computer-based audio solution, so vinyl is staging yet another comeback. Many subsequently feed the output of their audio system into a computer, for a variety of very logical reasons. However, there are a number of different ways to achieve this goal and it's high time we outline the procedures involved.

Next is the rise of the mini-show. Day or weekend long events – often run by a single dealer – have established a firm foothold in today's audio world. This issue, we look at three such events. And there are more to come...

Hi-Fi Plus was saddened to learn of the death of George Bartlett (1946-2012), of Bartletts Hi-Fi in Hackney Road, North London. His enthusiasm for audio and his professionalism as a retailer were only matched by his infectious sense of humour and his warm and friendly demeanour. He is survived by his wife Wendy and his children, Warren and Sarah.

Errata: Last issue, bad photography gremlins invaded our review of the Ensemble Natura loudspeaker. Sorry for any confusion caused.  

 

Alan Sircom, Editor Hi-Fi+