Zombies! Audio Fads that came back from the dead?

[Gigantic]

Given the popularity of the Audio fads that died thread, let's flip it around: What audio fads have been declared dead, yet came back anyway and most importantly, why? Are they better for their revival, or are they a pale reflection of their former glory?

 

[2FarGone]

Seems to me the most obvious example of this phenomenon is the resurgence of vinyl. I confess that it wasn’t until I attained a certain level of competence in my vinyl setup that I realized it actually sounded better to my ears than any digital source I have available. But I rarely listen to it, although I keep intending to use it more than I do. The convenience of being able to just click a couple of buttons on my cell phone usually wins out.

 

[DesertRatt]

MONO is coming back from the dead. I'm expecting a huge resurgence.

 

[justjed2]

Vinyl wasn't a fad. It was the primary source for music at home for decades.

 

[gadget73]

How about we just broaden it to things that used to be, died, and came back?

In that vein, cassettes and CDs are both having the same sort of resurgence as records.

Could make a solid argument for vacuum tubes in hifi having gone this path too. They were pretty much dead by the 1970s outside of a handful of niche manufacturers but now you can get tube amps on Amazon.

 

[DesertRatt]

ParagonCould make a solid argument for vacuum tubes in hifi having gone this path too.

Having played a small part in that resurrection of tubes, it is phenomenal how a few sparks and small campfires grew into essentially dominating high end amplifiers for the next 50 years!

In 1974 the Audio Research SP3a preamo was perched solidly in the kings chair destroying every SS preamp that anyone introduced including McIntosh, Levinson, SAE, GAS, ETC. I met Bruce Moore in the Dynaco Mods community where he had radically modified several PAS-3 preamps into contenders. I asked him a simple question: Why not start from scratch instead of being stifled by that small Dyna chassis?
His answer was quick; Sure, give me $100 bucks to defray the cost of the chassis and I'll build an Ultimate Preamp that will kill the SP3a.
I wrote the check immediately. He asked me, what do you want to call it? Paragon, i told him. Exactly one week later he invited me over to hear The Paragon. He had an Altec A7 system with no cabinets laid out on the bedroom carpet. I can't say much for the listening, but the preamp was a massively cool beast, including a fully hand lettered front panel.

The next few weeks was a blur of making the rounds to every audiophile we knew in the Bay Area. The Paragon killed it every where we took it. A rich gambling house owner said, "Make me three right away--I'll give you $1500." We diligently worked around the clock for week or so and brought the three to his casino where he popped the cash drawer and counted out the Benjamins. Bruce and I were punch drunk at that point.

One of those three units ended up at Sound Advice Magazine in San Francisco--unbeknownst to either of us. A month or so later, my phone rings. The publisher tells me, " The Paragon is our cover story for January. We had a big preamp shootout, and the Paragon was Cream of the Crop."
Before I knew it. I was building Paragons in my garage to send all over the world. Bruce decided not to join the chaos. I forged ahead for a tumultuous 4 years. We left a small mark in the Tube Renaissance. Boy oh boy, those were the days!

 

[freeagent]

I would say vinyl too. It might have been a primary format for awhile, but that is because tech was in its infancy and there was really nothing else that could compete seriously.. Compare tech now compared to what you could buy back then. Formats come and go, and come back. Things move in cycles between the generations it seems.

 

[Mr Boochie]

Honkin' big headphones?

 

[gadget73]

Why not start from scratch instead of being stifled by that small Dyna chassis?

honestly I've asked this question myself. I get it when the chassis is basically free, but more than once I've seen people pay real money for a complete stock PAS with the intent of gutting it to an empty box and replacing everything inside with completely different boards and such.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

How about we just broaden it to things that used to be, died, and came back?

In that vein, cassettes and CDs are both having the same sort of resurgence as records.

Could make a solid argument for vacuum tubes in hifi having gone this path too. They were pretty much dead by the 1970s outside of a handful of niche manufacturers but now you can get tube amps on Amazon.

Then where are the new tape duplication plants, and where is new investment in CD replication plants? Vinyl's had lots of new investment in record pressing, including even making new record presses. I'm not saying cassette and CD formats aren't making a comeback, they in fact are. But it's early in the game for both formats.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

One fad I am glad to see revived is interest in larger loudspeakers like we once saw in living rooms. KLH and Wharfedale being some of these. A welcome sign.

 

[Mr Boochie]

I'm not saying cassette and CD formats aren't making a comeback, they in fact are. But it's early in the game for both formats.

The one thing I noticed is that the market for used turntables never really went away. Even in the 1990s-early 2000s.

 

[DesertRatt]

honestly I've asked this question myself. I get it when the chassis is basically free, but more than once I've seen people pay real money for a complete stock PAS with the intent of gutting it to an empty box and replacing everything inside with completely different boards and such.

The PAS chassis was about 1/2 the needed size for 8 tubes and a gigantic 5 can power supply, and elaborate tone controls.

 

[Lavane]

Honkin' big headphones?

I've had a few of those big black Pioneer headphones find there way to me.
I would never pay anything for them, and they're so heavy on your head.
For over the ear headphones I've been pretty happy with my AKG 240's.
They don't clamp my head like a vise, and are light weight.
I had a pair of those KOSS electrostatic headphones with the foam ear pieces. They clamped down hard on my head and the sound was like having two peizo tweeters on your ears!

 

[DesertRatt]

I definitely prefer large over-the-ear phones. I do not like anything pressing on my ear. I never understood how people can tolerate ON EAR phones. As to those little BUDS - I have never found any that would stay in my ears. Nice idea, but I can't make it work. I also really like to isolate the ambient noise 'cuz my main reason for using phones is to get to the super subtle inner sounds, harmonies and such.

 

[Mr Boochie]

I've had a few of those big black Pioneer headphones find there way to me.
I would never pay anything for them, and they're so heavy on your head.
For over the ear headphones I've been pretty happy with my AKG 240's.
They don't clamp my head like a vise, and are light weight.
I had a pair of those KOSS electrostatic headphones with the foam ear pieces. They clamped down hard on my head and the sounded was like having two peizo tweeters on your ears!

Ever try one of these?


JVC HA-SZ2000 headphones. It's like strapping a pair of subwoofers to your head.

 

[Lavane]

Ever try one of these?

View attachment 3695898
JVC HA-SZ2000 headphones. It's like strapping a pair of subwoofers to your head.

View attachment 3695899

Nope. They don't look like they would be too pleasant to wear.

 

[Mr Boochie]

Nope. They don't look like they would be too pleasant to wear.

It's the sound! If you like heavy bass, this is your E-ticket.

 

[Doug G.]

Honkin' big headphones?

I still like my Lafayette F-990 headphones I got for Christmas of 1969. They still work.
Doug

 

[ConradH]

How about gigantic microphones? In the early days they had to be big. Then they were small. Now, every interview you see, they have these great big mics on boom stands. I don't even know what brand they are, but they look the size of a beer can.