According to CSR "State of Play" study more customers are demanding better audio, and are ready to pay more for CD-quality sound across the entire house, even from streaming sources and easy-to-install networked systems.
The study surveys 2000 music lovers across Germany, the UK, the USA, Japan and China, and reveals how 82% of respondents rate "excellent sound quality" as the most important feature in home audio systems. In more highlights, 79% believe sound quality is more important than device appearance, while 70% are ready to pay more to get "excellent" sound quality from their equipment, especially in the house.
Interestingly, while streaming is on the rise (76% admit to streaming music at home), CDs remain popular in Germany (80%) and the UK (76%), as is radio (84% of Germans, 80% of UK). Speaking of Germany, the nation also is the most likely to wait for others to try devices before buying (63%).