Why did the receiver war of the 70s end?

[DustyOldPile]

I can dance to Pink Floyd. I can dance to loose change in the dryer.

 

[runnin']

Just in case this site's input hasn't been recognized already: http://www.classicaudio.com/value/


What the heck happened in 1980?
The exact date varies from brand to brand, but the bottom fell out of the build quality. Manufacturers sacrificed quality for production speed and started aiming at the 'general' market instead of the 'audiophile' market. Analog tuners were replaced with digital tuners. Discrete output devices were often replaced with integrated circuits, many of which are no longer available today. Some pre-1980 models used integrated circuits, and some post 1980 models were still well built.

 

[Bodyblue]

Disco was for the brainless....it was "Lets do a few lines and f*** " music. All of the people I knew who were into disco were not exactly the "sharpest tools in the shed " types. Techno was and is more the music for those who like to dance even though I'm not a fan of either. Pink Floyd was never made to dance to, neither was most of the Beatles music, but lots of kids danced to their music in the early 60's.

WOW, what a completely bigoted and stupid statement. People that liked Disco were brainless because they liked to dance? Ummmmm generalize much?

And I KNEW there would be a few obtuse posters that would claim "I can dance to anything" etc. Yes, yes we all know one CAN dance to anything but the point is that Disco music was a reaction to music that a LOT of people found hard to dance to.

 

[Bodyblue]

Just in case this site's input hasn't been recognized already: http://www.classicaudio.com/value/


What the heck happened in 1980?
The exact date varies from brand to brand, but the bottom fell out of the build quality. Manufacturers sacrificed quality for production speed and started aiming at the 'general' market instead of the 'audiophile' market. Analog tuners were replaced with digital tuners. Discrete output devices were often replaced with integrated circuits, many of which are no longer available today. Some pre-1980 models used integrated circuits, and some post 1980 models were still well built.

If you go back and read the entire thread the answers are there. It was a combination of changing markets and economic changes that made products more and more expensive. And the receiver war just got silly at the end with the 120+ WPC units. The truth is that these were a very small part of the market and like most items, the mid priced items were the best sellers. But the companies had to have flagships, just like car companies. Ford loves to talk about their Mustang GT350 with screaming Vodoo flat plane crank V8s but the truth is they sell far more moderate priced cars (even though they sell a LOT of expensive trucks).

The reason now that you see far more 30 to 50 watt receivers now is because they sold a hell of a lot more of them. Companies had to make what would sell....they cut costs and prices and yes quality on a lot of items but stayed in business (most of the big names anyway in one form or another.) and kept their employees fed and factories running. Markets and products change and always will.

 

[DustyOldPile]

WOW, what a completely bigoted and stupid statement. People that liked Disco were brainless because they liked to dance? Ummmmm generalize much?

And I KNEW there would be a few obtuse posters that would claim "I can dance to anything" etc. Yes, yes we all know one CAN dance to anything but the point is that Disco music was a reaction to music that a LOT of people found hard to dance to.

Well, excuse some of us for not agreeing with YOU. Who's bigoted?

 

[Bodyblue]

Well, excuse some of us for not agreeing with YOU. Who's bigoted?

I assume you are referring to me saying that one CAN dance to anything. That is true, but that does not mean my description of why Disco became popular is wrong. A lot of people found that a lot of music in the late 60s and 70s was not fun to dance to, that is a fact. I am not arguing about what kind of music is good or bad, all I am stating is the fact of the issue we are talking about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco

"Disco is a musical style originating in New York City in the early 1970s, and remained urban and largely underground until the middle of the decade when it began to emerge from America's urban nightlife scene, where it had been curtailed to house parties and makeshift discotheques, and began making regular appearances mainstream, gaining popularity and increasing airplay on radio. It achieved popularity during the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Its initial audiences in the U.S. were club-goers from the gay, African American, Italian American,[1] Latino, and psychedelic communities in Philadelphia and New York City during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Disco can be seen as a reaction against both the domination of rock music and the stigmatization of dance music by the counterculture during this period. Disco was popular with both men and women from many different backgrounds, with dances including The Bump (1974), The Hustle (1975)."

"Disco was a key influence in the later development of electronic dance music and house music. Disco has had several revivals, including in 2005 with Madonna's highly successful album Confessions on a Dance Floor, and again in 2013 and 2014, as disco-styled songs by artists like Daft Punk (with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers), Justin Timberlake, Breakbot, and Bruno Mars—notably Mars' "Uptown Funk"—filled the pop charts in the UK and the US."

The above is a very interesting article, a bit long, but very interesting.

 

[Ronald1973]

The 80's were one big cocaine fueled decade of ugly. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Ugly music. Ugly hair. Ugly cars. Ugly fashion. Ugly TV shows. Ugly food. Ugly stereos. It's the decade that brought us the K-Car, the Mullet, Euro-Synth-Pop, Miami Vice, breakdancing, drive-thru restaurants and BPC. The entire decade should be put in a gunny sack and thrown in the river.

Monster receivers disappeared for the reasons many have given already.... Yen vs. Dollar changes, economic changes in general and an affinity for total crap as being en vogue.

I was never a big fan of 80's rock, but country music started going back to its roots with the likes of George Strait. Hee Haw was still in full swing every Saturday night. Hank Williams' music started to be treated with respect again as Polygram was releasing historical albums cataloging a lot of his work, some recordings being heard for the first time ever. Other elder statesmen such as Roy Acuff started having their older music released again on historical releases in the 80's. The Atari 2600 and NES were in vogue. Memphis Wrestling expanded out to other markets eventually reaching a nationwide audience. We had "who shot J.R.?" I think we should take your post, put it in a gunny sack, and throw it in the river!

 

[DustyOldPile]

I assume you are referring to me saying that one CAN dance to anything. That is true, but that does not mean my description of why Disco became popular is wrong. A lot of people found that a lot of music in the late 60s and 70s was not fun to dance to, that is a fact. I am not arguing about what kind of music is good or bad, all I am stating is the fact of the issue we are talking about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco

"Disco is a musical style originating in New York City in the early 1970s, and remained urban and largely underground until the middle of the decade when it began to emerge from America's urban nightlife scene, where it had been curtailed to house parties and makeshift discotheques, and began making regular appearances mainstream, gaining popularity and increasing airplay on radio. It achieved popularity during the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Its initial audiences in the U.S. were club-goers from the gay, African American, Italian American,[1] Latino, and psychedelic communities in Philadelphia and New York City during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Disco can be seen as a reaction against both the domination of rock music and the stigmatization of dance music by the counterculture during this period. Disco was popular with both men and women from many different backgrounds, with dances including The Bump (1974), The Hustle (1975)."

"Disco was a key influence in the later development of electronic dance music and house music. Disco has had several revivals, including in 2005 with Madonna's highly successful album Confessions on a Dance Floor, and again in 2013 and 2014, as disco-styled songs by artists like Daft Punk (with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers), Justin Timberlake, Breakbot, and Bruno Mars—notably Mars' "Uptown Funk"—filled the pop charts in the UK and the US."

The above is a very interesting article, a bit long, but very interesting.

Oh, well I guess you're right then.

 

[DustyOldPile]

I was never a big fan of 80's rock, but country music started going back to its roots with the likes of George Strait. Hee Haw was still in full swing every Saturday night. Hank Williams' music started to be treated with respect again as Polygram was releasing historical albums cataloging a lot of his work, some recordings being heard for the first time ever. Other elder statesmen such as Roy Acuff started having their older music released again on historical releases in the 80's. The Atari 2600 and NES were in vogue. Memphis Wrestling expanded out to other markets eventually reaching a nationwide audience. We had "who shot J.R.?" I think we should take your post, put it in a gunny sack, and throw it in the river!

The Country Music industry also snubbed Johnny Cash during that time period. Unforgivable. Hey, I'm glad you liked the 80's. If you were a country fan, it probably was a good time...admittedly a much better time than it is now, and a much better time than rock was at that time. The hell with Memphis wrestling. Verne Gagne's AWA all the way! Baron Von Raschke forever!

 

[nj pheonix]

Guys
Please
I think at one time or another we've poked fun at a genre of music we didn't care for (Even among old friends that you didn't share taste with)
Let's chill a bit .
We are friends!
Lighten up.
If you feel the need open a conversation and hash it out on the side.
I never cared for Disco.
I had friends that did.
Life went on.

 

[nj pheonix]

My last comment on disco and audio.
I don't think you needed a super resolving system to play it though it tended to be very loud with a lot of bass content .
That said it probably had little (to nothing) to do with the end of the monster receiver wars)

 

[JoeESP9]

WOW, what a completely bigoted and stupid statement. People that liked Disco were brainless because they liked to dance? Ummmmm generalize much?

And I KNEW there would be a few obtuse posters that would claim "I can dance to anything" etc. Yes, yes we all know one CAN dance to anything but the point is that Disco music was a reaction to music that a LOT of people found hard to dance to.

I have yet to meet a female that doesn't like to dance. Disco was perfect for dancing. Remember what they used to say on American Bandstand, "It has a good beat and is easy to dance to".

 

[nj pheonix]

Given the age demographic that predominates here, I suspect some anti-80's sentiment has less to do with the 80's, and more to do with the fact that the 1970's were the last decade where you could do something useful with your hands like climb a ladder or fix a friend's car, still had more hair on your head than poked out your nostrils, were occasionally ogled by members of your preferred gender with something other than obvious "creepy old man" scorn, and it was the last time you could still (barely) see your dick past the swelling burden of your own belly.

In other words, it's not the 80's that turned bad, it's you.

My God!
I'm spoiled milk!

 

[MannyE]

Are we discusing being old and hating music again? Jeez guys...

Are we? I didn't think so... wait...maybe I should read some of the posts? For the record, (lol...audiokarma pun) I listen to new music just as much as old music. Billy Joel said it best... "It's all rock n roll to me."

 

[mstrane21]

Given the age demographic that predominates here, I suspect some anti-80's sentiment has less to do with the 80's, and more to do with the fact that the 1970's were the last decade where you could do something useful with your hands like climb a ladder or fix a friend's car, still had more hair on your head than poked out your nostrils, were occasionally ogled by members of your preferred gender with something other than obvious "creepy old man" scorn, and it was the last time you could still (barely) see your dick past the swelling burden of your own belly.

In other words, it's not the 80's that turned bad, it's you.

 

[DaveVoorhis]

Well, that escalated quickly.

Not quickly enough. Where's the harsh but scathing rejoinders and scintillating wit that show me what's what and put me in my place?

I was looking forward to those.

You people don't "get" forums, do you?

You're all too nice. Now I feel guilty about pointing out y'alls dick-vanishing-under-your-belly thing.

 

[mstrane21]

Not quickly enough. Where's the harsh but scathing rejoinders and scintillating wit that show me what's what and put me in my place?

I was looking forward to those.

You people don't "get" forums, do you?

You're all too nice. Now I feel guilty about pointing out y'alls dick-vanishing-under-your-belly thing.

Ha, yes I expected a litany of namecalling directed toward you in the responses to follow, but they were nowhere to be found.

 

[biscuithead]

Yeah, chicks with armpit hair, dudes wearing overalls with no shirts underneath, long hair and crappy beards was truly something to be missed.

It was called growing up and getting a job, raising a family and becoming a contributing member of society.

I can't be the only one that thinks in terms of music, songs and albums...
All these albums came to mind after reading this post :





I have heard that "contributing member of society" stuff in a while.... LMAO !

 

[just dave]

Given the age demographic that predominates here, I suspect some anti-80's sentiment has less to do with the 80's, and more to do with the fact that the 1970's were the last decade where you could do something useful with your hands like climb a ladder or fix a friend's car, still had more hair on your head than poked out your nostrils, were occasionally ogled by members of your preferred gender with something other than obvious "creepy old man" scorn, and it was the last time you could still (barely) see your dick past the swelling burden of your own belly.

In other words, it's not the 80's that turned bad, it's you.

Ah wrong again Dave.Why do you have a problem with the 70's is the better question?

 

[62caddy]

Speaking of deterioration of the human frame, here's my father's favorite piece of headgear. He wears it everywhere.