The CD launched in the middle of the 80s and the following wave of digital systems that marked the last quarter of the century of audio (both quality and non) definitely had a worthy aspect: having brought about almost the complete disappearance of the legions of do-it-yourself types convinced that they had the definitive solution for good listening.

I would like to premise this with the fact that I have nothing against amateurs or somewhat semi-professionals who work with the design and construction of music machine prototypes. Quite the opposite: when I was twenty “stereo” was the technological frontier that young people were looking to cross. It is the reason for which today real hard core audiophiles have a common trait: white hair (for those who still have hair). But I have always detested the self-evident rhetoric of the “I’ve done it: it’s the best piece in the world” types.

One of the merits (among others) of the digital revolution in the 80s was that it made self-referencing do-it-yourself types into the contemporary descendents of the Mohicans. Nobody truly pays attention to them anymore.

The new revolution in music reproduction brought about by internet, which threatens the disappearance of physical supports, risks recreating another do-it-yourself type under the false pretence of the assembler. We have millions of amateur assemblers who over the years have developed billions of computers. And naturally, each one was the absolute best. Today considering that music reproduction is one of many applications for computers, the d’antan builder who is looking to take revenge will mostly like be the children or grandkids. We can only hope that these potential audio assemblers remain attached to their iPods and do not try to make the world listen to their definitive creation.