If you could buy a speaker that cost hundreds of thousands of yen at that time for a few thousand yen, you would just buy it.
Cassette tape for analog records. The audio that prospered in the Showa period is now suddenly attracting attention. As digital sound sources that started with CDs have evolved into SACD and high resolution, what is the appeal of audio in the analog era? [Photo] A vacuum tube amplifier with a slightly orange heater ... It's more like a "device". ■ The golden age of Japanese audio was from the 1970s to the 1980s. It is said to be in the 1970s and 80s. Since the appearance of CDs was in 1982, it was a transitional period before and after the transition from analog to digital. In addition to the ongoing brands such as Sony and Technics (Panasonic), there are nostalgic brand names in the audio division such as Toshiba Aurex and Hitachi Lo-D, and products from manufacturers such as Nakamichi and Akai that have already gone out of business. The market was crowded. I became a member of society in the mid-1980s, but at that time I went to Nipponbashi in Osaka to listen to and buy audio equipment. The fun of audio was to select and combine models that sound as good as possible within a low salary range when I got a job. Also, I put a weight on a record player to suppress resonance, and I tried that while reading an audio magazine. In the analog era, I think it was a fun part of my hobby that the sound improved and I felt that it improved with such an easy-to-understand approach. ■ Switch, meter, device moe in a metal box? Also, there may have been a longing for "devices" for generations. A futuristic "device" operated by people such as the Ultra Guard. A computer like a chest of drawers spits out a punched paper tape, and when you see it, you're tense, like "What! Godzilla in Tokyo Bay !?" I think everyone who was a boy was also excited by the fact that switches, levers, meters, etc. were lined up in a metal box. However, monsters do not appear so often in real life, so it is unlikely that such a "device" is needed at home. The "audio equipment" I encountered when I was still dragging such a longing was exactly that "device". Switches and meters are shining brightly in the metal box. The tension was still rising, and I fell in love with the audio hobby all at once. I think there are quite a lot of people of the same generation like this. With the spread of CDs, I feel that audio has become more casual when everyone can easily enjoy "reasonably good sound." When I was a cassette deck, I was excited about the frequency characteristics, S / N ratio, wow and flutter, and other data in the catalog, but when it came to CDs, the numbers were almost the same, and I felt lonely. It is the feeling at that time as an audio fan. After that, when MD appeared, music became easier, and at the timing when the sound source became an environment where data could be exchanged, the iPod might have changed the world at once. As the trend of the world has diminished the admiration for equipment and technology, the general hobby of audio may have disappeared. Except for the world where some super-luxury enthusiasts who are not swept away in such a world live. ■ Now, his Sansui, whose used audio is interesting, and recently, the former famous brands such as Onkyo, have virtually disappeared, leaving only their names. It is lonely for the generation who has seen the heyday. On the other hand, however, the used audio market seems to be quietly booming these days. For example, at Yahoo Auction, refurbished and working cassette decks are still on sale relatively constantly, and prices have been gradually increasing over the last few years. In addition, the listings of purchase and recycling companies are conspicuous in all audio equipment. In particular, large items such as speakers may be difficult to ship, and there are many items that are limited to direct collection, but when I actually bought them and went to collect them, a certificate of "remains organizer" was posted on the wall. rice field. Perhaps the person who had a hobby of audio died, and the bereaved family asked to pick it up. Mercari and Jimoty also have a lot of famous speakers from the past, but it seems that there are not a few "end of life" for older audiophiles. And it's probably the audio generation that buys them, mostly a little younger than them. A generation who both know the golden age of audio. From the owner in his 70's and 80's, he is entrusted to his 50's and 60's. I feel that this is the composition. One of my acquaintances living in Osaka is Mr. S, who bought dozens of sets of speakers in a year when the fire of audio when he was young reignited immediately after renting a room for work in Nagoya. He says, "By communicating with sellers such as Jimoty, you can share your thoughts with the speakers. This is fun." For the generation who spent their youth in the golden age of audio, now is the time to get the longing of those days at a relatively low price. For the time being, I think there will be many wonderful hobbyists who love the audio of those memories. (Maidona News Special Contract, Akira Kojima)
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