Do mainstream consumers want Hi-Fi systems?

In an age of streaming and wireless convenience, Hi-Fi systems and premium speakers, have slowly disappeared from the shelves of mainstream high-street retailers. Once a focus for mainstream retailing, Hi-Fi is now restricted to specialists with a lower profile than high-street household names. In the home, Hi-Fi has lost space to other consumer concepts, and what audio remains is often the low-quality prioritising convenience. Whole generations of consumers are growing up without knowing what Hi-Fi is. I recall my father’s system, he had a turntable, floor-standing Wharfedale speakers and a separate amplifier. The whole family loved music and that rubbed off on me. This motivated me to understand as much as I could about audio, my children inherited that love and all enjoy high-quality audio now in their homes. This love of audio also guided me in my employment journey.

This phenomenon raises important questions: does the mainstream still want dedicated audio products? Where will the next generation of Hi-Fi consumers come from? The answer could lie in the AV industry’s ability to better align with the needs of high-street retailers/consumers. Can we see the green shoots of this happening? Potentially, yes.

How we listen has changed

The way we consume music and audio has transformed over the last two decades. The rise of portable devices, smart speakers, and wireless headphones has redefined habits. Convenience has overtaken quality as the primary driver. People are more likely to invest in compact Bluetooth speakers, wireless earbuds that deliver ‘good enough’ sound. Bulky, high-quality systems that promise sonic perfection are overlooked. However, this also removes the quality and enhanced enjoyment that is possible.

Streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal offer huge libraries of music. However, most users still choose to stream in standard quality. Moreover, the radio and the stations that dominate play mostly predictable, safe ‘pop’ music. This does little to challenge listeners’ assumptions that their sound is good enough. The popularity of podcasts has also done little to focus attention on sound quality.

Hi-Fi retailing, the history and the future

Once, high streets featured mainstream household-name retailers filled with Hi-Fi. From powerful amplifiers to floor-standing speakers, brands such as Bose, KEF, and Bowers & Wilkins enjoyed prominent displays. Now this is almost disappeared. The mainstream retailers that I visited over the last 2 weeks have nothing much more than portable audio products.

Yes, we still have specialist Hi-Fi retailers, and there is much talk about the ‘vinyl revival’. However these remain niche markets and are often not responsible for creating the customers of tomorrow. Mainstream awareness, which would help our sector now and, in the future, remains elusive.

Hi-Fi retailing presents several problems for mainstream retailers. These include expensive floor space, the need for specialist knowledge, and a perceived lack of interest from customers. All of these contribute to its absence. Online stores and speciality shops have filled some of the gaps. However, as a result, many mainstream retailers view this market as niche and not their natural territory.

Hi-Fi has never been better. With digital technology offering high-quality streaming, good-quality vinyl records available, and manufacturers pushing the boundaries of what systems can do. The sector now has a better range of options than ever to present to music fans.

Most importantly, high-quality performance has increasingly appeared in smaller and smaller products. This is particularly true in systems based around digital music storage and streaming. Speaker technology has also advanced, and bookshelf-sized systems and some soundbars have made huge strides in quality.

Many of these systems better match the requirements of mainstream retailers in terms of space and appeal to younger consumers. As they are often operated via apps and streaming services—concepts familiar to this audience, appeal is stronger.

There is an opportunity for Hi-Fi to re-enter the mainstream, fuelling interest among a wider group of consumers and creating the customers of tomorrow.

In a time when convenience trumps quality, perhaps the real question should be ‘is the mainstream ready to rediscover Hi-Fi’.