Is Audiophilia a Dying Hobby or Just in Need of a Tune-Up?

Audiophilia is facing a crisis. With most enthusiasts over 55 and younger generations uninterested in high-end audio, the hobby risks fading into obscurity. Blame it on space, budget constraints, or the elitist image of the community—something needs to change.

40% of Audiophiles May Be Gone Soon, and No One Is Replacing Them

Can we make audiophilia relevant and inviting for the next generation, or is this truly the end of an era?

 

Contrary to be contrary, I suppose suit yourself, Sir. This was not a comment about age. I am in my late 60s and have been involved with high-end audio personally and professionally for 50 years and will continue to be for as long as I can contribute.

Are you misspelling these designers' names to make a point or just being wildly disrespectful?
Your point about needing millions to do something innovative is complete bullshit. Ars Machinae, a turntable designer we represent, won a Red Dot Dot design award and was granted a patent on the use of tungsten power in a record weight that is quite remarkable. The total amount spent to develop their turntable and win those prestigious awards is under $100k.

I can assure you that WestminsterLab's designs are innovative, as evidenced by the dozens of owners on this forum who have placed their hard-earned dollars down to purchase them. Politely said, before you dismiss a product, you might want to do actual research next time instead of skimming a website.

Younger generations prefer smaller brands and single-brand solutions instead of mixing and matching. They also gravitate toward direct-to-consumer channels instead of stuffy stores filled with stodgy salespeople and too many choices that must be mixed and matched. I'm curious: Do you have any professional marketing or brand credentials? Have you ever invested money to take a product from concept to commercial viability? I'm guessing not.

And yes, firms run by 80-year-olds will surely die - just as I will when my time comes. If there is to be a future for our hobby, it will be a new generation of audio pioneers who find a way to adapt their product and expose a new generation to the joys of high-fidelity music in the home. Indeed, I don't have all the answers on this or any other subject, but I respect your right to courtesy and respectfully disagree.

Apologies for autocorrect turning Buchardt into Bucharest. No disrespect intended.

Turntables are relatively cheap to design, being mechanical without software. My Garrard is 70 years old, updated, so I'm it seems to me a problem long since solved. The product I mentioned had significant innovations, several patented, that are unique. For example, it is the only multi-speaker system able to operate wirelessly at 24/192 PCM. The software cost millions to develop.

I did not dismiss any Westminster Labs product. Mystic poetry aside, the Rei amplifiers appear to be Class A 100w and use variable bias to manage the harsh realities that Class A requires loads of power and heat dissipation, enabling a smaller component. This sounds like good design, but nothing new. For the same price you can get the 300W Plinius A-300, which has different power/heat management options, but physically is much larger.

Fortunately I've not had to sell my own services for decades, people come to me, but I've advised or investigated hundreds if not thousands of businesses over 4 decades, including ones developing products from concept up. Most sensible people invest based on a risk assessment, hence all my money is in commercial and residential real estate. I used to do a lot of work with fashion brands, some well known global ones. Curiously, my great-grandfather set up a business making industrial workwear (the first to use denim fabric in Europe) that became and remains a global fashion brand. I wouldn't like to have to make a risk assessment of a hifi investment.

It's easy to blame the internet, but if you go down a high-end fashion street like Bond Street in London there are lines of young people waiting to get in to YSL, Dior, Moncler etc to buy a $3,000 plastic coat, because many of these brands aim at younger markets, and they do it with younger designers and marketeers. My oldest friends' daughter is a photographer hired by brands aimed at a teen/twenties audience, she did global billboard campaigns in 2024 for brands from Puma to Pepsi, she's 27. UMG, which owns all those dusty old recordings by DGG, Decca and Blue Note, now has a brilliant woman in her early 40s reducing the brand demographic by a few decades and doing a brilliant job.

Natasha Baldwin promoted to President, Global Classics, Jazz & Screen at Universal Music Group - Music Business Worldwide

Baldwin first joined UMG in 2016 to launch Decca Publishing…

www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

 

This is exactly what Michael Kay did with me when I walked into Lyric when I was around 21 years old.

If only this were more common “back in the day” when audio salesmen weren’t as hungry. The best known store in Toronto is Bay Bloor Radio. When I was home from college for holidays I’d sometimes pop in to see the latest and greatest gear. But the only visit I really remember was my last one, when I asked a sales guy who was twiddling his thumbs about a particular integrated amp and he said to come back when I could afford it.

 

He took me straight back to the IRS speaker room in 1990.

Me too! That was my "religious" experience of an audio nature, and I was hooked!

 

Apologies for autocorrect turning Buchardt into Bucharest. No disrespect intended.

Turntables are relatively cheap to design, being mechanical without software. My Garrard is 70 years old, updated, so I'm it seems to me a problem long since solved. The product I mentioned had significant innovations, several patented, that are unique. For example, it is the only multi-speaker system able to operate wirelessly at 24/192 PCM. The software cost millions to develop.

I did not dismiss any Westminster Labs product. Mystic poetry aside, the Rei amplifiers appear to be Class A 100w and use variable bias to manage the harsh realities that Class A requires loads of power and heat dissipation, enabling a smaller component. This sounds like good design, but nothing new. For the same price you can get the 300W Plinius A-300, which has different power/heat management options, but physically is much larger.

Fortunately I've not had to sell my own services for decades, people come to me, but I've advised or investigated hundreds if not thousands of businesses over 4 decades, including ones developing products from concept up. Most sensible people invest based on a risk assessment, hence all my money is in commercial and residential real estate. I used to do a lot of work with fashion brands, some well known global ones. Curiously, my great-grandfather set up a business making industrial workwear (the first to use denim fabric in Europe) that became and remains a global fashion brand. I wouldn't like to have to make a risk assessment of a hifi investment.

It's easy to blame the internet, but if you go down a high-end fashion street like Bond Street in London there are lines of young people waiting to get in to YSL, Dior, Moncler etc to buy a $3,000 plastic coat, because many of these brands aim at younger markets, and they do it with younger designers and marketeers. My oldest friends' daughter is a photographer hired by brands aimed at a teen/twenties audience, she did global billboard campaigns in 2024 for brands from Puma to Pepsi, she's 27. UMG, which owns all those dusty old recordings by DGG, Decca and Blue Note, now has a brilliant woman in her early 40s reducing the brand demographic by a few decades and doing a brilliant job.

Natasha Baldwin promoted to President, Global Classics, Jazz & Screen at Universal Music Group - Music Business Worldwide

Baldwin first joined UMG in 2016 to launch Decca Publishing…

www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

Fantastic! Then, you and I share our experiences as entrepreneurs, investors, brand marketers, and lovers of performance audio. When we put together a task force on the subject, I would enjoy having you as a part of it. Feel free to PM and keep the dialogue going. No worries about the spell check - it's just another bit of technology that has two sides as far as efficiency goes, not to mention dulling our minds. Thank you for your thoughtful reply, and happy holidays.

 

Apologies for autocorrect turning Buchardt into Bucharest. No disrespect intended.

Turntables are relatively cheap to design, being mechanical without software. My Garrard is 70 years old, updated, so I'm it seems to me a problem long since solved. The product I mentioned had significant innovations, several patented, that are unique. For example, it is the only multi-speaker system able to operate wirelessly at 24/192 PCM. The software cost millions to develop.

I did not dismiss any Westminster Labs product. Mystic poetry aside, the Rei amplifiers appear to be Class A 100w and use variable bias to manage the harsh realities that Class A requires loads of power and heat dissipation, enabling a smaller component. This sounds like good design, but nothing new. For the same price you can get the 300W Plinius A-300, which has different power/heat management options, but physically is much larger.

Fortunately I've not had to sell my own services for decades, people come to me, but I've advised or investigated hundreds if not thousands of businesses over 4 decades, including ones developing products from concept up. Most sensible people invest based on a risk assessment, hence all my money is in commercial and residential real estate. I used to do a lot of work with fashion brands, some well known global ones. Curiously, my great-grandfather set up a business making industrial workwear (the first to use denim fabric in Europe) that became and remains a global fashion brand. I wouldn't like to have to make a risk assessment of a hifi investment.

It's easy to blame the internet, but if you go down a high-end fashion street like Bond Street in London there are lines of young people waiting to get in to YSL, Dior, Moncler etc to buy a $3,000 plastic coat, because many of these brands aim at younger markets, and they do it with younger designers and marketeers. My oldest friends' daughter is a photographer hired by brands aimed at a teen/twenties audience, she did global billboard campaigns in 2024 for brands from Puma to Pepsi, she's 27. UMG, which owns all those dusty old recordings by DGG, Decca and Blue Note, now has a brilliant woman in her early 40s reducing the brand demographic by a few decades and doing a brilliant job.

Natasha Baldwin promoted to President, Global Classics, Jazz & Screen at Universal Music Group - Music Business Worldwide

Baldwin first joined UMG in 2016 to launch Decca Publishing…

www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

Fantastic! Then, you and I share our experiences as entrepreneurs, investors, brand marketers, and lovers of performance audio. When we put together a task force on the subject, I would enjoy having you as a part of it. Feel free to PM and keep the dialogue going. No worries about the spell check - it's just another bit of technology that has two sides as far as efficiency goes, not to mention dulling our minds. Thank you for your thoughtful reply, and happy holidays.

 

This is exactly what Michael Kay did with me when I walked into Lyric when I was around 21 years old.

Exactly Ron. Mike is the sole reason I am still addicted to the pursuit of high fidelity and work in the industry 50 years later. So many share your story that I may hold a reunion.

On a serious note, Mike was an impresario and had a particular way of demonstrating what great sound was all about. This is despite your budget, be it small or large. How many hi-fi impresarios are there today?

I consider Philip O'Hanlon, a distributor of On a Higher Note and Impresario, and applaud him for his efforts to visit dealerships and make fun and engaging presentations to enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels. Phillip has also been working on a cable TV series all about what a luxury audio system can do to make life more enjoyable. I saw a pilot episode some months ago but don't know how it's progressing.

If anyone wants to be a dedicated part of a diverse working group of consumers and relevant industry folks, please send me a private message.

 

Why would you need focus groups to figure this out? Go find a bunch of Millennials and observe how they are listening to music. (The Millennials I know use ear buds and headphones).

I don't know anything about survey taking, but I would rather observe what people actually do than ask them to describe what they think they want.

Completely agree. Just thought bringing them in vs. going out was more practical. In the end, it would be discussion and observation. Along with the possibility for them to have an experience similar to the one you had at a hifi shop that was inviting.

And I have an idea for the perfect venue. Your listening room!

 

When I served in the Army we could get top tier gear for over 50% off of retail. When I went to the place it was like a religious experience! I bought a Revox A77 Swiss Version (Another version was made in Germany) for $500.00. For the time it was still a lot of money but I was hooked! Before I knew it I had a Empire TT, Phase Linear 400 amp and 2000 pre, Epicure Speakers. I taped all my vinyl. The guys in my platoon thought I was insane for spending all that money. I was around 19 years old with a world class system. That time ruined me and I remain hooked!!

 

When I served in the Army we could get top tier gear for over 50% off of retail. When I went to the place it was like a religious experience! I bought a Revox A77 Swiss Version (Another version was made in Germany) for $500.00. For the time it was still a lot of money but I was hooked! Before I knew it I had a Empire TT, Phase Linear 400 amp and 2000 pre, Epicure Speakers. I taped all my vinyl. The guys in my platoon thought I was insane for spending all that money. I was around 19 years old with a world class system. That time ruined me and I remain hooked!!

Yes, for the high-end to survive it needs to offer near religious experiences to potential customers.

 

Yes, for the high-end to survive it needs to offer near religious experiences to potential customers.

Yes, along with obsessive personalities/characteristics....

 

Well for competition, for those who choose to purchase gear, you have home theater which is a group experience not just one person in "the chair". I think that is a much more attractive option than listening alone. Wife, kids, friends are all invited. One thing I will never understand is how many people in the hobby look down their noses at this aspect of the hobby. You can play any format on such a system which is a huge advantage WRT media available.

Rob

Hi Rob,

I'd like to share my perspective on this. From 1996 to 2018, I had the pleasure of being deeply involved in the Home Theater (HT) hobby. During those years, most of my time and financial investments in the hobby went into HT and less on stereo – it was revolutionary in the 90s and fulfilled my dream of having cinema-quality entertainment at home.

In 2017, I made significant investments in both a complete HT setup and an upgrade to my two-channel audio system. Although the HT investment was more substantial, I found that the quality of available content was disappointing. For over a decade, Hollywood has mainly produced remakes and poorly written scripts. In contrast, music offers endless possibilities – you can listen to an album countless times, whereas movies and TV series have limited replay value. By 2018, I had either sold or given away all my HT equipment to focus exclusively on two-channel audio. Interestingly, many of my friends made the same choice. These days, I watch movies and TV using a screen and a B&O soundbar, and surprisingly, I don't miss the projector or surround sound setup at all.

 

Yes, for the high-end to survive it needs to offer near religious experiences to potential customers.

Near religious, perhaps, my thoughts are that the youth of today need to hear systems that can evoke the same emotional response as live music can.

https://youtu.be/W-NW0xolsQ8?si=-amIbThgsV9nZnd2

 

A Swifty, or Swiftyophile is one who enjoys the sound of TS’s digital. It’s one step lower than a Digitalophile.

Does your dog howl when you play Swifties? You should too.

I've never heard any of Taylor Swift's music but I have heard of her... lol

 

Hi Rob,

I'd like to share my perspective on this. From 1996 to 2018, I had the pleasure of being deeply involved in the Home Theater (HT) hobby. During those years, most of my time and financial investments in the hobby went into HT and less on stereo – it was revolutionary in the 90s and fulfilled my dream of having cinema-quality entertainment at home.

In 2017, I made significant investments in both a complete HT setup and an upgrade to my two-channel audio system. Although the HT investment was more substantial, I found that the quality of available content was disappointing. For over a decade, Hollywood has mainly produced remakes and poorly written scripts. In contrast, music offers endless possibilities – you can listen to an album countless times, whereas movies and TV series have limited replay value. By 2018, I had either sold or given away all my HT equipment to focus exclusively on two-channel audio. Interestingly, many of my friends made the same choice. These days, I watch movies and TV using a screen and a B&O soundbar, and surprisingly, I don't miss the projector or surround sound setup at all.

Yet concert movies don't have such limited playback value. A friend of mine who used to be a regular audiophile now instead watches concerts of his favorite classical music on his big screen TV setup and sound via a decent stereo. I have to admit the experience is riveting in its own way.

Personally I think a great projector and screen in a home theater setup bring the visual dimension to yet another level.

 

Yet concert movies don't have such limited playback value. A friend of mine who used to be a regular audiophile now instead watches concerts of his favorite classical music on his big screen TV setup and sound via a decent stereo. I have to admit the experience is riveting in its own way.

Even a decent soundbar + YouTube on a good OLED can be very engaging. The eyes make the ears less fussy about the SQ. A soundbar that rolls off the highs somewhat and doesn't try to overachieve the bass can sound quite good.

 

Near religious, perhaps, my thoughts are that the youth of today need to hear systems that can evoke the same emotional response as live music can.

Not just the youth.

 

The eyes make the ears less fussy about the SQ.

I think that's key.

 

Near religious, perhaps, my thoughts are that the youth of today need to hear systems that can evoke the same emotional response as live music can.

Ain't gonna happen ever! It's two completely different things! You can't ask the stereo for the setlist or have a chat at the merch table.

Rob

 

Hi Rob,

I'd like to share my perspective on this. From 1996 to 2018, I had the pleasure of being deeply involved in the Home Theater (HT) hobby. During those years, most of my time and financial investments in the hobby went into HT and less on stereo – it was revolutionary in the 90s and fulfilled my dream of having cinema-quality entertainment at home.

In 2017, I made significant investments in both a complete HT setup and an upgrade to my two-channel audio system. Although the HT investment was more substantial, I found that the quality of available content was disappointing. For over a decade, Hollywood has mainly produced remakes and poorly written scripts. In contrast, music offers endless possibilities – you can listen to an album countless times, whereas movies and TV series have limited replay value. By 2018, I had either sold or given away all my HT equipment to focus exclusively on two-channel audio. Interestingly, many of my friends made the same choice. These days, I watch movies and TV using a screen and a B&O soundbar, and surprisingly, I don't miss the projector or surround sound setup at all.

Went trough the same scenario myself, had a big surround/projector setup that i really enjoyed at the time. It was the centerpiece of many large group movie nights, and friends dropped in weekly to watch Sopranos and other popular series while enjoying home cooked meals and barbecues. These days i watch movies on a big flatscreen with decent speakers, but do not even bother with rear and center channels, had them, but took them down again. My big 2 channel system has become my main for music enjoyment, time wise i probably spend 80% of my audio / video leisure time in front of the flatscreen.

 

Hi Rob,

I'd like to share my perspective on this. From 1996 to 2018, I had the pleasure of being deeply involved in the Home Theater (HT) hobby. During those years, most of my time and financial investments in the hobby went into HT and less on stereo – it was revolutionary in the 90s and fulfilled my dream of having cinema-quality entertainment at home.

In 2017, I made significant investments in both a complete HT setup and an upgrade to my two-channel audio system. Although the HT investment was more substantial, I found that the quality of available content was disappointing. For over a decade, Hollywood has mainly produced remakes and poorly written scripts. In contrast, music offers endless possibilities – you can listen to an album countless times, whereas movies and TV series have limited replay value. By 2018, I had either sold or given away all my HT equipment to focus exclusively on two-channel audio. Interestingly, many of my friends made the same choice. These days, I watch movies and TV using a screen and a B&O soundbar, and surprisingly, I don't miss the projector or surround sound setup at all.

Hello

My HT is still going strong. Got me into horns to get clean peak SPL's without heating the house. Being on the "right side" of the power curve is a real plus. Glad you are enjoying your gear!

Rob