(Brooklyn, NY). I wake up. It's one of those perfect Sunday mornings—66°, pleasantly cool, with sparse rays of sun peaking through. I have the whole day to devote to eating and writing my Stereophile column—my two favorite pastimes.
The morning begins with me putting a record on: Elton John—Greatest Hits, the soundtrack of my life. I then proceed to hand grind some Counter Culture coffee beans from Kapchorwa, Uganda, and proceed to brew them in my Chemex. Since I am an extremely gluttonous eating machine, and Sunday is boozy brunch day, I attempt to preemptively offset the rest of the day by juicing some fresh, farmers-market greens.
On an average work day, I would've hastily stuffed my cheapo Apple earbuds in, poured some cold brew into a canteen, grabbed some random snacks, and rushed out the door. This process, on the other hand, is calming and restorative. Weekends are for slowing down, after all.
As my morning kitchen routine winds down, my morning tech routine begins. Switching from vinyl to Tidal, I respond to emails, make a few phone calls, peruse social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), browse my rss news feed, browse my rss audiophile feed, and lightly skim NPR and the NY Times. This continues for about an hour until I put a stopper on it and attempt to start writing.
Recently, I've been finding myself increasingly curious about the relationship between modern listening patterns and advancements in technology. Or rather, why the majority of the world chooses to forgo high-fidelity, premium listening experiences, for convenient, (often) lesser-quality ones? I am obviously guilty of this too, at times, so this is in part an introspective self-study. Of course, the obvious culprits come to mind: modern lifestyle, the media, (perceived) affordability, and accessiblity. But one word in particular comes up quite frequently: "millennial" . . .
Millennials are—allegedly—the scum of the earth. They're a load of lazy, self-absorbed, uninformed, whiny twerps who are in for a rude awakening. At least, those are what seem to be the highlights of the fraction of internet drivel I've come across.
[Recess] I set down my organic coffee. It's time to bring in the big guns: the Bruichladdich Octomore 6.1. A secret weapon reserved primarily for special occasions, but also for reading sickening articles online. [End recess]
Supposedly, we, an entire generation of people, are to blame for everything? We're lumped together, generalized, and harshly labeled in a shockingly large spread of articles. (Need I point out that the vast majority of Trump supporters are over the age of 45?) Sigh. Reading unintelligible, indiscriminate hatred can be so tedious, but with Elton by my side, I feel indestructible. These innumerable allegations span across a wide array of industries, so naturally, millennials in high-end audio are not immune to this unwarranted hostility.
In the audiophile world, millennials are often blindly associated with crappy headphones, crappy digital downloads, crappy music, and a crappy over-reliance on technology. Is this completely false? No. Of course I've encountered my fair share of millennials matching this description. And of course I'm guilty of many of these accusations as well. But some of the most passionate audiophiles I've met also happen to be millennials. And inversely, I've met some pretty disappointing Baby Boomers and Gen X'ers too.
We live in a weird world of people who use apps to order life partners just the same as they do hot meals; where one can make a good living and have a thriving social life without leaving home. There's an app for everything. Modern technology addresses pain points you never even knew you had to make life easier in ways previously unimaginable. Some solutions are useful, while others are completely absurd. It's the same with everything. What strikes one as an unnecessary technological crutch is a key solution in another's daily routine. We all have unique lifestyles with individual needs that require specific crutches (technological or not) to assist us. Why should variations in music listening be viewed any differently?
I'll drool over an exquisite two-channel system just as much as the next audiophile, but I'm equally appreciative and grateful for my Apple earbuds, my $20 Audio Technica exercise buds, and my occasionally skimpy digital downloads. Life moves at different speeds, and there's a time and place for everything. Yes, even Apple earbuds.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just a cheap, weak, millennial nobody preaching to no one. Maybe all millennials really do suck, and the high-end audio industry—no, the world!—is doomed for failure. But here's what I think. I think that we millennials are on to something. We are the future.
Music can and will be lifestyle friendly, to each individual's respective lifestyle. A diversity of digital music formats, portable technologies, wearables, hearables, multi-room functionality, subscription services, streaming experiences—these are glimpses of the future that millennials and Gen Z'ers will continue to improve upon. Our modern lifestyles are pushing technology, urging it to move forward in all directions. Perhaps not every single direction is quite clear or refined yet, and perhaps some advancements favor lifestyle over fidelity, but I promise you this will change. Hopefully the future of music listening will be an equal balance of high-fidelity and technological convenience.
We are millennials. We are the future.
