To Appeal to Young Audiophiles, Tell a Story
Yesterday, I had a brief conversation, by text message, with my 26-year-old son. He had just walked by the Devialet shop at the Shoppes at Columbus Circle here in Manhattan. Knowing my interest in such things, he sent me a photo. The Devialet boutique seems more a design exhibit than a shop, in a high-ceilinged open area.
The shops at the Shoppes at Columbus Circle include Hugo Boss, Eileen Fisher, and Floga, which sells furs, among less-exclusive brands, though even the less-exclusive stores look fancy. Upstairs from the Shoppes is the Mandarin Oriental New York Hotel, where rooms cost about $1k/night and up, and some notable restaurants, among them Thomas Keller’s Per Se, and Masa, a three-star Michelin restaurant where dinner costs as much as a room at the Mandarin Oriental, per person. To reserve a table, leave a deposit of $950 per guest. If you don’t show up, they keep the money.
Devialet is the only trace of the hi-fi industry not only in that mall but in that part of town. Innovative Audio, which carries Wilson, Focal, and D’Agostino, among other brands, is about a mile east, a 25-minute walk.
Devialet was founded on real technology, the analog-digital hybrid amplification module employed in the pioneering D-Premier integrated amplifier John Atkinson reviewed very favorably in January 2013. Devialet utilized this core technology to make products that are at least as much lifestyle as hi-fi and cultivated a reputation in art and design via collaborations with Krug champagne and partnerships with the Paris Opera, Luis Vuitton, and other organizations and artists (footnote 1).
I admire what Devialet is doing. Instead of sticking close to our industry and pursuing low-hanging fruit, they’ve aimed to expand the market with relatively affordable goods in the luxury/lifestyle category, reaching new audiences.
Those restaurants I mentioned, upstairs at Columbus Circle, are typical of New York in that they practically guarantee a fine dining experience—but only if you’re willing to take out a mortgage to get dinner. If you don’t want to spend at least the cost of a good midrange audio cable, the food is hit or miss in Manhattan and except for the 99-cent pizza slice, almost none of it is cheap. I’ve lived here nine years now, and I still don’t know where to buy a good sourdough, at any price; a bakery that shows up Thursdays at the local farmer’s market charges $9 for a loaf, and it isn’t great.
Remember that conversation I was having with my son by text message? Provoked, I think, by that Devialet display, he wrote, “I do hope hi-fi takes off with young people Feels like an easy sell with the right angle.” Every young person my son knows loves music. He has his own place, in Brooklyn of course, but whenever my wife and I leave town, he’ll have some friends over to our place, make them dinner, and play some music. He is especially fond of Carolyn Shaw’s compositions. He has described his friends’ responses as mind-altering, consciousness-expanding. I’m willing to bet that once they’re established and stable in a home, every one of these people will buy a stereo system.
This got me thinking about value and what it would take for our hobby/industry to “take off with young people.” It might be wrong, but my thinking is very clear. I’ll put it first in foodie terms.
What I’m looking for in a restaurant, and have rarely found, is simple and classic: excellent, unpretentious ingredients simply and meticulously prepared. Exquisitely fresh grouper with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon; high-quality al dente pasta with a well-made sauce; a simple green salad well dressed. I know it won’t be cheap—good ingredients and expertise cost money—but it need not cost what Columbus Circle restaurants cost, even with NYC rents.
The proven way to make products cheaply is to manufacture in quantity, in a factory, on an automated assembly line in a low-income country. Another way is to cut corners on materials. Neither approach is promising. Products intended to expand our industry must have integrity—in design, component selection, and construction. They must have a resonant story.
The key to making this work is to keep the parts count low, the design and build simple: a few tubes and passive elements, well-chosen power and output transformers. Assemble them in a chassis that’s attractive and well-made, though it need not be expensive. A similar approach can be taken with transistor amps—look at Nelson Pass’s First Watt designs. I’d love to see a First Watt integrated, in a more interesting-looking chassis. Include an MM phono preamp based on a simple circuit.
High-sensitivity speakers are the obvious way to go, since they let you keep the amplifier power low, saving money on tubes and transformers. You don’t need horns; just keep the crossover simple. Use simple, time-honored designs for amplifier, loudspeaker, and crossover. Use high-quality, low-tech (coated paper) drivers. Mount them in a sturdy wooden box.
What about sources? I can think of several $500–$1000 turntables; add an interesting, affordable cartridge and that’s a very fine source. A used ‘table will work, too. Digital sources are generic. A laptop computer is fine for streaming; pick up an affordable, high-quality USB or streaming DAC with Bluetooth or AirPlay or both. This is an area, I’m thinking, where the industry is currently falling short: Although many cheap DACs sound great for the money, few have character or a story.
Each main piece needs a story. What classic topology does the amplifier use? Who made the transformers? Where was the wood used for the loudspeaker cabinet (sustainably) harvested? What specific drivers were chosen, and why?
Like my dream restaurant, it won’t be dirt cheap, but it can be in-range—attainable—and the value proposition will be self-evident. Build it and they will come
Footnote 1: I was privileged to live for several weeks with a pair of Devialet Phantoms in a Paris apartment in 2017. You can read about the experience here.
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