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?

 

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.

I hope you gave him an appropriate reply!

 

In recent years, a handful of high-end manufacturers are offering active integrated systems such as the YG Acoustics Vantage 3 and the Focal Diva Utopia. Are these intended for the experienced audiophile that has grown weary of the complexity of separates and is looking to simplify? Or is there potential appeal with these products for the high-net-worth-non-audiophile-music-enthusiast? Stated differently, can these high-performing but less complex offerings create more exposure for high-end audio?

 

Are you implying that headphone enthusiasts are not audiophiles, only people with speaker systems are?

Having been (and still am) an audiophile headphone fanboy, I can say you may be surprised how much spent on big ticket headphones and supporting amplifiers, DACs and servers. Most of the top headphones are now 4K+, amps 4K and up as well. There is a market for 15K amps for headphones as well:




and the Susvara at 8K




I went through various Stax amps, Stax headphones, then custom built electrostatic amps. I will always own a nice headphone and DAC / amp to drive it.

If you attend a Can-Jam event, you will see the crowd is mainly sub 30 years old, and they seem to have discretionary spending.

A driver for the high end headphone market is more are staying at home longer, so need a self contained and separate system. Plus many are on the web while listening to music. Most of these IMO will transition to 2 channel, and have got the bug / interest to pursue top sound.

Thus this large subset of younger audiophiles will come through and replace us oldies. Some may even look vinyl, it is already happening!

The sadest part of all this for me, is why is it 95% male?

 

Having been (and still am) an audiophile headphone fanboy, I can say you may be surprised how much spent on big ticket headphones and supporting amplifiers, DACs and servers. Most of the top headphones are now 4K+, amps 4K and up as well. There is a market for 15K amps for headphones as well:

View attachment 141912


and the Susvara at 8K

View attachment 141913


I went through various Stax amps, Stax headphones, then custom built electrostatic amps. I will always own a nice headphone and DAC / amp to drive it.

If you attend a Can-Jam event, you will see the crowd is mainly sub 30 years old, and they seem to have discretionary spending.

A driver for the high end headphone market is more are staying at home longer, so need a self contained and separate system. Plus many are on the web while listening to music. Most of these IMO will transition to 2 channel, and have got the bug / interest to pursue top sound.

Thus this large subset of younger audiophiles will come through and replace us oldies. Some may even look vinyl, it is already happening!

The sadest part of all this for me, is why is it 95% male?

Nice looking cans, but is your point that if the youth of today who start with headphones will probably move up to high end or are you saying they will get high end at a smaller footprint with headphone systems? You follow ADgold’s point that high quality integrated amplifiers, by reducing system footprint, might draw today’s youth into this hobby, so I am assuming the latter.

I remember when the Sennheiser Orpheus HE-90 first came out I was drawn to it like a moth to flame. Electrostatics over the ear, driven by it’s own fancy class-A valve amplifier, wow! I had heard Quad ESL57’s and they blew me away, same SET amps. I thought this could be the end of my audio nervousness, the holly grail.

Then I went to a high fi show in London and saw one set up, driven by a CD player, for all to audition. I got into the line and waited my turn. Eventually I got a turn.

I went away underwhelmed. It might be because of the digital front end, but to me it sounded thin and analytical, not warm and relaxing (as I had expected Class A valve amplification and electrostatics should sound). Certainly not “high end”.

I must declare that I have some small Audeze LCD i3 headphones for computer listening, however, following that audition I never again considered building my system around headphones. So I worry that should a young person today experience the same it would put them off forever.

 

In recent years, a handful of high-end manufacturers are offering active integrated systems such as the YG Acoustics Vantage 3 and the Focal Diva Utopia. Are these intended for the experienced audiophile that has grown weary of the complexity of separates and is looking to simplify? Or is there potential appeal with these products for the high-net-worth-non-audiophile-music-enthusiast? Stated differently, can these high-performing but less complex offerings create more exposure for high-end audio?

I certainly think so. A lot of people love the clean look of no wires and no exposed components.

 

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, View attachment 141880View attachment 141881but 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.

Those are some mighty funky sofas!

 

Having been (and still am) an audiophile headphone fanboy, I can say you may be surprised how much spent on big ticket headphones and supporting amplifiers, DACs and servers. Most of the top headphones are now 4K+, amps 4K and up as well. There is a market for 15K amps for headphones as well.

I have auditioned a lot of megabuck headphone systems over the last 5 years expecting to hear large improvements over my current setup, but found this not to be the case.

Infact, using my David Yee single ended OTL triode tube headphone amp, JVC HA-D990 headphones and Numark EQ2400 equalizer for bass augmentation and corrected response using Shure replacement pads gives me a distinctly transparent and you-are-there experience that belies the modest price that I payed for these components thru the years.

 

Those are some mighty funky sofas!

They are built with a inner rubber membrane and heavy padding inside and work as bass absorbers, curtains are black out with extra absorbent layers.

 

They are built with a inner rubber membrane and heavy padding inside and work as bass absorbers, curtains are black out with extra absorbent layers.

Wow...audiophile grade living room furniture and curtains too...

 

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?

I skipped through the article a bit, but my thoughts:

The article did make some good points, audiophile snobbery, new gens now have and want music on the go and have it, but one key area they missed is - nostalgia. Many Baby Boomers and X gens enjoy vinyl and tubes, for example. I read about it all over FB, they love the experience, the feel of the vinyl, the glow of the tubes (often along with an overly warm sound), it's a perceived cool factor. And many abhor streaming and digital, I even read it in this forum. I would argue it's the resurgence of vinyl that keeps them buying media and listening. Personal preference.

I also see the overall quality of sound getting better and better, via in - ear and over - ear phones, in cars, in home offices and in HT. Even MP3s are predominantly a thing of the past with Redbook and high - res available to stream. Portable blutooth speakers sound markedly better than boom boxes of the past. The bar is rising, does that make us all audiophiles unknowingly?

I also believe the sonic cost to value is better than ever. Specific to speakers, look at MoFi, KEF and Q Acoustics for example, the sonics are amazing for the $. Someone commented on Class D - I have 2 Aiyima Class D amps at under $100 each in my office, you'd be amazed how great they sound, unheard of sonics at this price ever. I'd argue audiophile sound is available and affordable, so maybe we in this forum should look down and not up?

Final thoughts - Is the traditional American / European audiophile along with all our habits and preferences fading? Likely. But I'd argue the hobby is not dying, it's evolving. Is music being heard and enjoyed globally at a higher fidelity than ever before with more music from all corners of our planet available in more formats than ever - absolutely. Enjoy it while you can.

 

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

 

Wow...audiophile grade living room furniture and curtains too...

I even had a recording studio designer build giant bass absorbers/ diffusers suspended on rollers thar could be moved into position when listening to music.

 

Music is for enjoyment unless it is Diana Krall. In that case it is cruel and unusual punishment.

Having been (and still am) an audiophile headphone fanboy, I can say you may be surprised how much spent on big ticket headphones and supporting amplifiers, DACs and servers. Most of the top headphones are now 4K+, amps 4K and up as well. There is a market for 15K amps for headphones as well:

View attachment 141912


and the Susvara at 8K

View attachment 141913


I went through various Stax amps, Stax headphones, then custom built electrostatic amps. I will always own a nice headphone and DAC / amp to drive it.

If you attend a Can-Jam event, you will see the crowd is mainly sub 30 years old, and they seem to have discretionary spending.

A driver for the high end headphone market is more are staying at home longer, so need a self contained and separate system. Plus many are on the web while listening to music. Most of these IMO will transition to 2 channel, and have got the bug / interest to pursue top sound.

Thus this large subset of younger audiophiles will come through and replace us oldies. Some may even look vinyl, it is already happening!

The sadest part of all this for me, is why is it 95% male?

Agreed.
I prefer to go in the opposite direction. What you do for $1k is amazing.

 

Thank you.

(My answer to my own question would have been "shrinking high-end economic pie.")

Nice seeing you here, Adam! I am looking forward to diving deeper into the subject with you.

 

In recent years, a handful of high-end manufacturers are offering active integrated systems such as the YG Acoustics Vantage 3 and the Focal Diva Utopia. Are these intended for the experienced audiophile that has grown weary of the complexity of separates and is looking to simplify? Or is there potential appeal with these products for the high-net-worth-non-audiophile-music-enthusiast? Stated differently, can these high-performing but less complex offerings create more exposure for high-end audio?

very curious about what you find as you seek the answer (or perhaps already have some data?). It seems that boomers retiring to smaller spaces is one obvious market. The other is young folks just starting their equipment journey.

Another interesting question is about content. Are young folks mostly listening to curated music -- Spotify, for example. Or are they exploring elsewhere? If so, where and how?

 

The headphone people don’t migrate up to loudspeaker systems very often. People use headphones for a reason and the idea of sitting in a dedicated room has little appeal.

Where is your data to state that? Having been an headphone audiophile for years, and gone to many Can-Jam and other HP meets, some at shows, some at peoples houses. I see approx 40% transition to 2 channel, many of those drop HPs, some keep both. I believe once they get the bug, and are into collecting and listening to music in their 20's, then most start a family and own their own home, it is a natural progression.

Don't mix up the gaming users, and budget casual users of HPs with the serious high end HP users; It is a big market. Head-fi has 500K members for example.

 

We can agree on what defines an audiophile. However, given the differences and limitations of headphones in recreating music the way hi-fi systems do (such as soundstage and imaging, lack of room interaction, and different physical impact, to name a few), I consider headphones a separate branch of this hobby.

It's like watching films in a cinema, on a home theater system, or on a TV—while they all serve the same purpose, the experience isn't the same, and it's not what we aim for at the highest level.

You should listen to the Sennheiser HP1 at 68K retail, before you write HPs off as 'low fi'. They have progressed more than 2 channelling the last few years, and can produce serious sound quality. It does things many top speakers cannot do IMO.

 

Here’s some data to consider:

In 1978, with a population of 225 million people, 341 million vinyl records were sold in the US and 726 million total units sold for all music formats for a 1978 total revenue of $19 billion (adjusted for inflation.) (RIAA data)

In 2023, with a population of 336 million people, 43 million vinyl records were sold in the US and 249 million total units were sold for all music formats for a total 2023 revenue of $17 billion. (RIAA data).

In 1978–3.22 music units were sold for every person in the US. In 2023–0.74 music units were sold for every person in the US. That works out to music purchases per person decreasing by 4.35X over the past 45 years in the US.

No, because many are paying for Qobuz or Tidal, possession has reduced, and easy of playing anything online as increased HUGELY. So we need wider figures to see the trend. My view, is look at the fandom of big artists now, it is the same as in the 70's IMO.

 

You should listen to the Sennheiser HP1 at 68K retail, before you write HPs off as 'low fi'. They have progressed more than 2 channelling the last few years, and can produce serious sound quality. It does things many top speakers cannot do IMO.

View attachment 141945

Is this a photo of your system? Pretty impressive!

 

Where is your data to state that? Having been an headphone audiophile for years, and gone to many Can-Jam and other HP meets, some at shows, some at peoples houses. I see approx 40% transition to 2 channel, many of those drop HPs, some keep both. I believe once they get the bug, and are into collecting and listening to music in their 20's, then most start a family and own their own home, it is a natural progression.

Don't mix up the gaming users, and budget casual users of HPs with the serious high end HP users; It is a big market. Head-fi has 500K members for example.

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