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Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

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Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

#261

Post by dangus »

dylan604 wrote: post #29
bombcar wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could estimate it from sales or something, but Walmart has a huge wall full of various TVs, and barely one half of one aisle-side of soundbars, and no receivers/speaker setups. I suspect something like 80% of people use the TV, and of those who upgrade, use a soundbar, maybe. And even those with a dedicated theatre room, probably have other TVs that are just TV audio.

That's a really sad percentage of people listening to such subpar sound that they might as well not be. I understand not everyone can afford nice audio, but a soundbar is such a drastic improvement, VHS=>DVD level of improvement, while a soundbar to surround is a DVD=>BluRay improvement. It's great for those with discerning taste, but not noticed by the vast majority. Granted, I'm not an audiophile, but I've been in/…

On top of this, many soundbars have their own upgrade paths that are "good enough" and the end result is essentially equivalent to a surround sound system.

My soundbar can connect a second wireless subwoofer as well as a rear speaker set, and the setup process is extremely easy, which is one of the major hurdles with Hi-Fi equipment.

Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

#263

Post by bombcar »

ryandrake wrote: post #134
bombcar wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but just look at the revenue. Some do build it out (and I'm sure HN has higher percentages of "home theater types" than most) - but the average house? It's a TV. Thinking over everyone I know who has a TV, I'm the only one with a receiver connected. I think one has a soundbar.

A lot of it is that the design of good home theater equipment is ugly and not spouse-approved. My wife simply will not tolerate big black speaker boxes and a black stack of receiver equipment in the family room. No matter how well it’s hidden away. And I know a lot of families that have the same desire for a nice looking living space.

That's where you upgrade to in-wall speakers!

(It's partially a joke, but partially real - out of sight, out of mind!)

https://www.crutchfield.com/g_12600/In-wall-Speakers.html

Personally I think that the "takeover" of the living room by TVs and home theater has been one of the biggest "mistakes" in modern home design - they should be relegated to the basement or some other locale.

Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

#264

Post by Interesco »

bayindirh wrote: post #229
trentnix wrote: post #77

Now there are more avenues for Samsung to shove bloatware down our throats. I have a modestly high-end home theater and it is utterly maddening waiting for devices to “boot” and “handshake”. And after the wait, I’m presented with another “User Agreement” to sign that insists on shoveling ads down my throat and harvesting data. How much do you have to pay for a quick boot, no ads, and a private movie or music experien…

Not every company does it, or with their whole lineup. Get a Yamaha [0], NAD [1], Rotel [2]? I would have adamantly said AKAI, but they are no more. [0]: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/hifi_components... [1]: https://nadelectronics.com/product/c-3050-stereophonic-ampli... [2]: https://www.rotel.com/en-gb/product/a11mkii

I have a NAD 3030 from ~ the 70's. Very glad to see their new unit keeps (almost exactly) the same look. Great equipment

Edit: Immediately after posting this I scrolled down and saw "The C 3050’s industrial design was inspired by the NAD 3030 Stereophonic Amplifier, a 1970s classic" which explains the look!

Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

#265

Post by anton-c »

alabastervlog wrote: post #91
jwr wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 90+% of the things people complain about would no longer be a problem if they got a traditional A/V receiver, plugged all their sources such as streaming boxes and game consoles into the receiver, and just used the smart TV as a monitor (and as a tuner if they watch OTA television). The problem there is the terrible UI of those A/V receivers, designed by committee that upholds long-standing traditions. It takes a l…

Seconded, I’m happy with my Denon (especially because I got it cheap) but only because I rarely touch it. The front panel design is demented.

My receiver(amplifier is a better name for its job) is mounted sideways on l-brackets so the power and volume knob, the only things that sometimes get touched, are at the top within reach. I do audio work but once a receiver is set up I don't mess with it. So easy for consumers to mess things up.

Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

#266

Post by bayindirh »

Interesco wrote: post #264
bayindirh wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not every company does it, or with their whole lineup. Get a Yamaha [0], NAD [1], Rotel [2]? I would have adamantly said AKAI, but they are no more. [0]: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/hifi_components... [1]: https://nadelectronics.com/product/c-3050-stereophonic-ampli... [2]: https://www.rotel.com/en-gb/product/a11mkii

I have a NAD 3030 from ~ the 70's. Very glad to see their new unit keeps (almost exactly) the same look. Great equipment Edit: Immediately after posting this I scrolled down and saw "The C 3050’s industrial design was inspired by the NAD 3030 Stereophonic Amplifier, a 1970s classic" which explains the look!

I personally use an Akai AM-2850 which still performs the same sans the lazy VU meters. Mine doesn't even have soldered joints, and still shakes the room with no effort, and has great sound quality.

Yesteryear's HiFi equipment was something else.

Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

#267

Post by Goronmon »

pembrook wrote: post #214
tonyhart7 wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"How much do you have to pay for a quick boot, no ads, and a private movie or music experience? Just like every retailer has embraced usury with their credit card programs, every technology company has decided they are in the data harvesting business." isn't like this our goal here??? I mean we are comment on YC site that produce startup aiming just that

Originally yes, but now this is a complaint forum for pessimistic big tech worker bees to vent their frustrations while never actually having to invest time, money or effort on actually doing anything. Generally though, consumers have already spoken with their wallets on this topic and they have told many thousands of doe-eyed founders loud and clear: “we will happily sacrifice our time and privacy to save a $3, brin…

Originally yes, but now this is a complaint forum for pessimistic big tech worker bees to vent their frustrations while never actually having to invest time, money or effort on actually doing anything.

I don't know, going back years ago, if anything it would have been YC figuring how to push ads/bloatware. It would have just been more subtle about the phrasing and meaning behind what was trying to be accomplished, but the underlying 'value extraction' stories were still there.

The "entrepreneur" aspect of YC generally was about "enshittification" before that word became more used.

Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

#268

Post by fsloth »

ryukoposting wrote: post #232
trentnix wrote: post #77

Now there are more avenues for Samsung to shove bloatware down our throats. I have a modestly high-end home theater and it is utterly maddening waiting for devices to “boot” and “handshake”. And after the wait, I’m presented with another “User Agreement” to sign that insists on shoveling ads down my throat and harvesting data. How much do you have to pay for a quick boot, no ads, and a private movie or music experien…

> How much do you have to pay for a quick boot, no ads, and a private movie or music experience? Not much. Buy used. Buying new stereo equipment is an activity of the wealthy. Everywhere I've ever lived, CraigsList is overrun with excellent used speakers and receivers at reasonable prices. I won't inundate you with brand-flexing, but I'll say I'm very happy with my home theater system. 4K OLED TV, big ol' tower speak…

Can agree used speakers offer incredible value. Having an 4k oled TV bundled into $400 package _is_ surprisingly cheap even then imho!

Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

#269

Post by EnPissant »

gsibble wrote: post #260
EnPissant wrote: post #67

Samsung acquired Harman Audio some years ago. Harman owns several well-known brands like JBL, Infinity, and Revel. They've invested billions in audio R&D, and Samsung has clearly benefited from that. Their soundbars now exceed the sound quality of Sonos systems that cost twice as much (or three times as much during sales). Denon and Marantz are arguably the best AVR manufacturers. It’ll be interesting to see what Sam…

Sony already does some wireless surrounds. They sound like crap. The problem with wireless speakers is you can't really stream at a high enough bitrate to them to make for decent audio. Plus to really work, they need a plug nearby. People without a proper room really can't enjoy surround sound which is a shame. There's this whole world of high end home theater equipment most people never get a chance to hear. I try t…

That’s not true about wireless speakers. Compressed audio that is indistinguishable from any loseless format is very small, and even if you compress beyond that, it is really hard to tell. Speakers and room acoustics dominate.

Most people don’t have theater rooms, and they don’t want their living room to look like one.

Most people who hear a Samsung q990x series soundbar are super excited too. I think you overestimate how much better a dedicated speaker setup is, especially if we are talking 5.1.

Re: Samsung is paying $350M for audio brands B&W, Denon, Marantz and Polk

#270

Post by dfxm12 »

trentnix wrote: post #77

Now there are more avenues for Samsung to shove bloatware down our throats. I have a modestly high-end home theater and it is utterly maddening waiting for devices to “boot” and “handshake”. And after the wait, I’m presented with another “User Agreement” to sign that insists on shoveling ads down my throat and harvesting data. How much do you have to pay for a quick boot, no ads, and a private movie or music experien…

High end in what terms? Most options will sound the same (to me? to most?), so the option with the better user experience is really the high end option.
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