HIGH END'S ALIVE AND KICKIN'! Talk of high-end audio's demise greatly exaggerated Russ Herschelmann's over-the-top rant on “the death of high-end audio” really ticked me off. I felt as if I should call Krell, Mark Levinson, Wilson Audio and conrad-johnson to see if their phones were still connected. The fact is that all these companies are enjoying robust sales. So, why do I have the feeling that he just wishes these companies were dead? I'll admit that the high-end audio market isn't exactly booming. It is instead evolving, toying with the idea of becoming a custom-install business, and moving toward a slightly wider audience. All right, I've conceded this much, now Russ must admit that his own home theater agenda is in conflict with most high-end audio values. I'm not really sure where Russ' grudge against the high end is coming from, but attacking high-end audio on the basis of its exclusivity is just plain wacky. Aren't the better home theater systems just as expensive as the highest-of-the-high end audio rigs?Sure, high-end audio manufacturers and retailers blame each other for the lack of growth in sales, but that's been going on since the business began. Retailers and suppliers have always been at odds with each other -- each thinks it can do the other's job better. I did get a chuckle out of Russ describing the high-end industry as "once-robust." Come on, this has never been more than a cottage industry. Higher-end audio companies are tiny, employing anywhere from 10 to 100 employees, and company sales typically run $10-15 million a year. Heck, the entire high-end market is only worth about a billion dollars a year. It's always been a niche market. I'm sure the number of Mustangs sold by Ford in a year is higher than the number of cars sold by Ferrari since day one; the same formula can be applied to mass-market audio versus high-end gear. Russ sites the "overuse of techno babble" and "confusing vocabulary" as a ca...
