Shared Listening

Last time, I discussed some of the issues related to building systems in your home. Today, I want to discuss creating a shared listening experience.

Some audiophile systems have accessibility problems. Either the system is not accessible to others, or nobody else can run it.

I regularly find issues like these:

• The system is located away from family life. • It has a very complex setup and operation • The equipment is too fragile to let “just anyone” use it • The “owner” does not let anyone touch the system. • The system design only provides a single person listening position.

These issues can create hidden or public tension and stress around music where there should be none! So the shared listening experience is not there. I may be harsh here, but it is crucial. I do not intend to denigrate the audiophile who has a personal need to build systems for whatever reason! Please enjoy the music, but think about including others in the musical experience.

The stand-alone system is not the only culprit. Devices like the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod all provide instant music that has an almost magical feeling. The sound can be a bit like elevator music or the old Intercom system with terrible little speakers around the home. It’s just not great for a “Performance” listening experience.

There is another trend in stereo called multi-room audio. Companies like Sonos, Bluesound, and others have created system designs that allow you to place speakers around the home and synchronize the music playing on them or to play different music as desired in each room. The system designs are a great way to get music everywhere. While the quality can be pretty good, there is still no drive to take time to listen to music together as an experience.

The technology companies named above have also started providing multi-room audio. They are earnest about their work but do not appear serious about the listening experience. Their voice activation systems are compelling, and it will be fascinating to see where this goes.

Do not take me wrong; I have Amazon Echo and Apple HomePod devices in my home. They all play valuable roles in our daily lives. However, the incumbent multi-room systems like Sonos and Bluesound are most likely feeling the pinch.

Next time, we will take an abbreviated journey through time and start experiencing the future today!