CODIFYING CODPIECE

This post originally appeared on the AVNation.tv site. 

 

Andrew Robinson, formally an editor at Home Theater Review, continues to make waves among the Ivory Towers holders of Audiophilia, and I like it.

I like it a lot.

Mountain Fresh Air

Andrew is a breath of fresh air, like a straight-line wind of fresh air, inside the hobby world of home theater. One of the first Salvos I heard was in the form of his report/ review of the Rocky Mountain show, where he barely contained a direct and well-deserved dressing down of the exhibitors. His premise? That the high fidelity, high-resolution proponents and manufacturers have effectively priced themselves out of any community growth.

In effect, the audiophile holy rollers codifying the culture has resulted in them shooting themselves in the foot repeatedly.

Perhaps this is a pushback from the consumer and "PROsumer" products, which have had a seminal rise with viable budget-conscious buyers options. There is something to be said for defending quality and excellence, but when it comes to the result of circling the wagons, it also creates a wall. Every manufacturer is looking to draw folks in with their array of 'oh, Wow' products posted as glossy equipment pornification in magazines and blogs. What happens for the rest of us once we get past these obvious, select client-only devices?

Gilded Cages/Ivory Towers 

When I started out as a young man attempting to cobble together a better system, many of my best tutors owned remarkable systems but took the time to show me why they decided on the gear they had but, more importantly, showed me how to choose the quality at my budget. There was an entry-level ability, one with room to grow.

Codification when it comes to standards or procedures – the process to ensure the best work is accomplished – is valid, and I know that this is what many in the hobby are trying to do in their heart of hearts. Sadly, what a mid-level enthusiast like myself endures feels like the strutting of Codpieces, no longer concerned with the qualities; it has morphed into the bejeweled and feathered presentation of superiority.

Killing A Culture

A funny thing happens when you start to codify a culture rather than strengthen it begins to deteriorate.

In the early 1980's I was deeply involved in the nascent alternative and punk culture. When you think of punk, it often consists of the image of a metal-studded leather jacket and buzz cut or Mohawk-topped youth. But this was not the case at the start. If you had attended an early punk or American hardcore show, the folks in the audience and on stage ran the gamut of looks. From plaid shirts and sports jackets to surfer types with long hair and buzz cuts wearing loafers and Dr. Martens boots. Look at Iggy and the Stooges- not your atypical punkers with bowl cuts and rocker's hair.

Those early days were amazing times of breaking the bonds of the corporate music monopoly and spurring a revolution in DIY ethos from The Cleaners From Venus/Martin Newell cassettes to the Detroit sound. Rock music was stripped of its over-embellished predecessors' indulgences back to the blues roots made to snarl with Les Paul's electrified steel-stringed guitar. As the genre gained traction and its ranks started to swell, a change occurred. Slowly but surely, the scene began to stratify into semi-distinct subgroups – perhaps because of outside scorn or a desire to be unique, the fans of these new genres began to codify what look was acceptable.

 Where once it was okay to attend a Dead Kennedys show with long hair, it soon became a daredevil proposition; this much to the lament of the scenes provocateurs and stars. Like the WWI trains, before the biases could be healed, travel was already in motion, and the lines of battle were drawn. To be sure, there were always the talented (The Clash, Elvis Costello, Fugazi, The Ramones ) and those less so, but with the stratification and codification came a loss of power and message. And snobbish aspersions were cast upon anyone not in the clique.

Audiophilla, Auto-Asphyxiated

The audiophile hobby has turned into an elitist club not because it is necessary to do so but because those promoting it as such find pleasure in dismissing others.

Am I wrong? Prove it – Andrew is the only one, so far, in the hobby media to welcome those of us who are just starting out or have defined budgets. If not for him, I would stick to my high-resolution digital music and headphones.

In the end – This is bad for the hobby and the business of AV integration. If I am reluctant because of the closed-shop mentality of the hobby, why would I pursue the next step?