At a time when music is available at our fingertips and more people than ever before are listening to it on the move through their mobile phone or mp3 player, it's not surprising we sometimes have people walk into our store a little baffled by what we sell. You can buy cheap and cheerful mini systems and play music through your TV or phone at home so why buy a hi-fi? At a time when our sales of hi-fi are better than ever and we cater to a large range of customers, we couldn't help thinking that we could do a little more to demonstrate and explain the reasons behind buying a proper hi-fi system (separates or otherwise) for anyone new to the concept of real hi-fi.

While customers of two-channel separates have changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and the hi-fi industry has become more specialised, it's worth considering that more people seem to be listening to music than ever before. The availability of music on iDevices, online, on television and everywhere has created a new generation of music lovers whose only experience of sound might be listening through the give-away earphones supplied with their phone or a substandard mini system.

 The argument against real hi-fi might go as long as I can hear the music I am fine with what I have or I need something quick and easy but this is missing the point. Music has the ability to affect us in many ways - to change our mood and make us feel elated and happy; to comfort us when things get tough; to make us think about things we wouldn't otherwise think about; to realise someone has been through the same break-up or love story we're going through; to start the day with a blast of energy; and to help us wind down after a long, stressful day. With music being such a large part of our life (arguably more than ever), doesn't it make sense for that music to sound as good as it can? Could the quality of the music being better enhance our mood even more and let it become a more comforting part of our lives?   

The majority of car manufacturers realised this in the late 1990s and early 2000s, along with realising most cars (not just luxury types) had become a personal space rather than just a tool to convey us  from A to B. Many of us spend a lot of time in our cars and with more options on more cars for leather seats, custom interior features and more mirrors and cupholders, options included upgraded sound systems and indeed many new cars (even smaller cars) can sound quite good. We're not going as far as suggesting a car sound system can sound as good as your music system at home: but it has become an important part of driving and making the commute more tolerable – being able to listen to music with excellent sound quality. 

So, why is the same less true at home nowadays? With a recession in the early 1990s reducing sales of non essentials, sales of hi-fi separates declined and the multiple stores began to carry larger numbers of cheaper and more affordable systems that then overshadowed the importance of good sound. While high end hi-fi (which we classify as any item costing over £1000) will always be a specialist pursuit, we feel the change in how real hi-fi was offered to the public from the 1990s onward is a great injustice for a population of people who, for the most part, love music and want music to be part of their lives. The UK isn't Louisiana (where music is a massive part of the culture), but what real hi-fi represents is the chance to enjoy a less stressful day from the mood enhancing benefits of good music when you get home, great sound when you're in a good mood and the feeling of being able to enjoy as close as possible to real concert sound in your home - any day of the week. What a substandard mini system can't give you, only real hi-fi can.

We feel the hi-fi market is massively undersold. If anything, this comes from lack of retailers who explain and demonstrate real hi-fi to a new generation of music lovers and bank on an older generation who already know about hi-fi because they grew up with it. While we value all of our customers and, although the hi-fi audiophiles are the core of our market, we hope to help the new generation learn about hi-fi and what great sound can do for their lives. We will happily demonstrate the benefits of real hi-fi to anyone who visits our store with their MP3 player, a few CDs, or some music on a USB stick. Hear the difference between a basic mini system, a budget real hi-fi, and a truly impressive separates hi-fi system.