Issue 99    May 2013
What Is Your View Of The Audio World?
Editorial By Alan Sircom

  In the run-up to the 100th edition of the magazine, it's worth looking forward as well as back. It's interesting to view the hi-fi landscape back in 1999 compared to today, and speculate just what the map will look like in 2026. Curiously, back just before the turn of the century, people were often talking about their 'final vinyl' systems, but instead we've seen something close to a renaissance in sales of all things LP, even if the term 'LP' has been replaced by 'vinyls' now.

Judging by the last 99 issues, it's hard (make that impossible) to predict what changes will occur in audio over the next few years, although I think we have reached a plateau. The ways we will acquire music might change, but I suspect the methods of acquisition of that music are already in place. From the hardware side, we already have equipment that can read music off a network or play music fed from a computer, those who abandoned loudspeakers for headphones now have provision to buy some exceptional quality headphone-related material (suggesting the high-end is alive and well and living between the ears of a new generation), and the musical world has tried – and seemingly swiftly rejected – a number of putative next-generation concepts like multi-channel music.

Yes, the names will change, yes prices may go up, down or sideways and there's always a chance of new revolutions blindsiding this continuum (although if you are holding out for 8-track's return, good luck with that), but I can't help feeling the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In the meantime, we are still very keen to read your views on the audio world since our issue one, and we'll print the best of them in our 100th issue next month. What's changed, and what's stayed the same in your audio world since the last century? Have you embraced a downloaded future, or have you set your watch back with vinyl and valves? And where do you think audio will be in 15 years time? Will you be beaming music right into your own head, or will you be shouting 'from my cold, dead hands' while clutching your vinyl? Let us know – editor@hifiplus.com.

Hi-Fi Plus was saddened to learn of the passing of Franco Serblin. Serblin's designs from both his original Sonus Faber and later his own Franco Serblin brands demonstrated that a commitment to sound quality did not have to come in drab loudspeaker boxes. Sadly, this month also saw the passing of Peter Brem, head of the Swiss maker of the highest of high-end turntables, DaVinci Audio Labs.

Alan Sircom, Editor Hi-Fi+