Ipod: Audiophile's Best Friend

So, here is some serious heresy to my industry colleagues:

I think the iPod and iTunes are essential for serious music listeners.

OK, stop laughing.

Something that permeates all aspects of this industry is that although it is by nature a very technical one--especially as it pertains to high-end integration of elaborate systems--at the end of the day, the experience and ease of using the gear must weave themselves into our daily lifestyles to be a true success. In fact, part of why elaborate home automation and audio/video server installations can be so costly is the fact that whom one uses to do the work places the difficulty on themselves during design and installation, so that the users can simply use. The key is, can any device be a true lifestyle enhancement, or another widget to cart around?

I couldn't write anything new about the iPod that hasn't already been written, but I think the essential thing that's missing is the fact that this little ubiquitous device has made people rediscover not only their own music collections, but seek out and find new music that perhaps they would never have prior. I know this is the case for me, especially when exploring a new genre or a buzz band. And, more to the point, I also firmly believe that this device can be traced to a phenomenon that even the most skeptical audiophile can appreciate: The resurgence of interest in turntables and vinyl.

In talking with many people that are starting to garage-sale shop for vintage turntables, hitting used-record shops and their parents' basements for records, and wanting to get these older machines up and running, something interesting emerges.

Almost to a person, they're "bored" with digital.

The rub about this phenomenon is that they almost all say that they "discovered" older bands and different genres through exploring various websites and placing "samples" (I won't get into copyright stuff here) in their iPod for perusal. Compounded by the fact that many well-known groups are issuing new albums on heavy-gram wax, and you have one of the most ironic twists the industry has ever known.

It seems the most accessible and well-known device to play back and discover music in history is actually helping sales of a completely (seemingly) unrelated format. And, this competing format was supposed to have "died" twenty-odd years ago. One can now read about the need for a good record player even in such non-audio publications like GQ and the Robb Report. Terms like "enveloping" and "luxurious sound" abound in these articles, and it isn't too far of a stretch to assume that terms like those are alien to the average 128kbps user. With all due respect to them, it seems in increasing numbers, they are also aware of this fact, and are seeking out the format long-known for both warm and authentic sound. The permeation of digitized music seems to be causing an intense desire among even non-hobbyists to return to the roots of musical playback.

So when you pick up a audiophile-oriented publication, and read the lamentations of the editor about how the "iPod is killing quality", just realize that really isn't happening (at least not in the epidemic numbers assumed in those articles). In fact, it's helping a new generation discover music and the type of sound that older generations have long enjoyed.