Trends are nearly impossible to see in the moment.
When I was growing up men all wore hats and women were daring if they wore pants. That's just the way it was.
Normal.
Only, normal is a trend: a temporary condition that feels relevant at the time but in hindsight is only a passing phase.
Trends are rather pervasive in high-end audio. First it was owning a console with everything built-in. Then we moved to separates. Turntables were all we knew until the CD came along. No one considered a subwoofer until it's not cool to be without.
I think it's healthy to separate trends from qualities that deserve permanence.
A love of music is timeless.
A desire to strive for better feels eternal.
It's not a trend to fall in love with a great performance in your home.
