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?

 

Most young people that I see listen to garbage music like gangsta rap/hip hop and they live that sort of reckless lifestyle that sort of music promotes.

I'm not a fan of that music, and while you're correct that some who listen to it mimic it in their lifestyle not everyone who listens to it does.

Drug & alcohol habits of today are not helping matters either

What about the drug and alcohol habits of the 60s, did they help or hinder?

 

I'm not a fan of that music, and while you're correct that some who listen to it mimic it in their lifestyle not everyone who listens to it does.

What about the drug and alcohol habits of the 60s, did they help or hinder?

Mozart was probably drunk as a skunk when he wrote most of his music ! Most modern music was probably made under some kind of chemical influence.

 

Zakaj je COVID problem? Sprašujem kot oseba, ki je sedela v delovnih skupinah in še vedno dobiva podatke o primerih. In imam presenetljivo veliko strank in prijateljev golfa, ki so ga letos imeli.

Ta forum govori o višjih cenah za luksuzne komponente. Navedel sem vir, ki pravi, da je luksuzni avdio trg leta 2023 zrasel na 2,8 milijarde USD. Srednji trg ima težave, ker ne ponuja vrednosti za denar.

I think that's the crux of the problem...and that's why everything will fail.

 

I'm not a fan of that music, and while you're correct that some who listen to it mimic it in their lifestyle not everyone who listens to it does.

What about the drug and alcohol habits of the 60s, did they help or hinder?

It's worse now.

 

Mislim, da je to srž problema...in zato bo vse propadlo.

Remember to translate your posts to english before posting them here. And you should identify yourself as a maker of audio equipment in your signature

 

Most young people that I see listen to garbage music like gangsta rap/hip hop and they live that sort of reckless lifestyle that sort of music promotes.

This might be one of the dumbest comments I have read in quite a while.

 

This might be one of the dumbest comments I have read in quite a while.

Hey, some of us look forward to these posts. Crazier the better.

 

It's worse now.

the more you post, the more ridiculous you sound.

 

the more you post, the more ridiculous you sound.

Grumpy old men, complaining about the alleged depravity of the youth. Same old song constantly repeating itself from generations to generations through millenia. Nothing new here, always the same nonsense.

 

Grumpy old men, complaining about the alleged depravity of the youth. Same old song constantly repeating itself from generations to generations through millenia. Nothing new here, always the same nonsense.

al, as an old man, i guess i don't fit into that mold? altho i do get a bit grumpy about nonsense... like this entire thread? audiophilia, a dying hobby, or just in need of a tune-up? Same old song constantly repeating itself from generations to generations?

doug s.

 

Most young people that I see listen to garbage music like gangsta rap/hip hop and they live that sort of reckless lifestyle that sort of music promotes.

 

al, as an old man, i guess i don't fit into that mold?

No, obviously you don't. Me neither, hopefully, even though I'm old too (62).

altho i do get a bit grumpy about nonsense...

Aah yes, me too.

like this entire thread? audiophilia, a dying hobby, or just in need of a tune-up? Same old song constantly repeating itself from generations to generations?

doug s.

Good point. I tried to convey the idea that headphone listening as practiced by young enthusiasts can also be audiophilia (I started with headphones as well), but with some that apparently fell on deaf ears. Too much of a stretch for some grumpy old men .

 

It's worse now.

The war on drugs started in 1971 for a reason

 

al, as an old man, i guess i don't fit into that mold? altho i do get a bit grumpy about nonsense... like this entire thread? audiophilia, a dying hobby, or just in need of a tune-up? Same old song constantly repeating itself from generations to generations?

doug s.

that is the problem with vinyl - getting stuck in the groove. Can't happen with digital!

Hopefully, that will get us out of the drug wars and stuck in the vinyl/digital debate again. Ahhh, I feel better already. Hope you do too.

 

Samuel Clemens has been misquoted as saying, "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

Well, are they still? Are they?

 

Samuel Clemens has been misquoted as saying, "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

Well, are they still? Are they?

last i checked, hobbies span generations. in the case of music, it's spanned thousands of years, since the beginning of recorded humanity. individual species lifespans? not so much. tho several plant species do last a few thousand years or more....

doug s.

 

Some Musings About the Hobby:

Interesting article that was referred to at the beginning of this thread. Not sure the "40%" is really representative of what's happening. If we're looking at YouTube views on a given product, sure they may trend down. But there are so many more products and brands on the market which creates a wider distribution of videos available. Nobody can watch them all so they look at a few that hold their interest. Look at U.S. trade shows; some have died and others have grown. Trade show numbers as viewed by exhibitors may appear to be smaller, but the number of exhibitors at these shows continues to grow, thereby distributing the number of folks making it to your room. For some reason new audio companies are started at a rather surprising rate. Will they garner enough market share to stay in business? Time will tell.

True, the traditional audiophiles are beginning to die off. Are their offspring taking their place? Doesn't appear they are in any significance. However, much of "high end audio" can be categorized as residing in the "luxury goods business." Watch (time pieces) companies are not dying. Sure, a new watch brand pops up every once in a while but for the most part the stalwart companies are the relevant portion of this luxury goods industry. The watch business has a 100 year head start on the high end audio business, so they are known by a bigger slice of the population. Audio needs to catch up to survive. In many foreign markets (especially some Asian locales) high end audio is becoming quite well known by the populous. Our hope is that our industry can get out of the esoteric shadow that it tends to be in. Constant promotion (advertising, etc.) and consumer coverage will be the key. The younger population that buys luxury goods is not trending down, but rather up, if we are to take the success of the watch industry as a possible indicator. We just need to become more well known as an industry. Any tips on how to do that are warmly welcomed.

"...is becoming quite well known by the populous..." Populous is an adjective. The "ous" bit is a good indication. Something that has a large population. POPULACE is a Noun and it is what you meant. Sorry for being pedantic, but it is an all too common mistake...

 

All good points. Young people pay what we consider small fortunes for experiences instead of “stuff”. Ticket prices for Taylor Swift are a recent example. Some were paying several thousand dollars for three hours of live entertainment, money that could buy a good used “starter stereo.”

One more data point. My daughter recently told me she’ll start a record collection when she’s settled (she finishes undergrad in April). I will no doubt get her set up with a “record player” but what she’s most attracted to is the collecting aspect of the hobby, and the music. She and her friends love going to vintage and thrift stores. Crate digging for vinyl is a natural extension of that interest. There’s a real “cool factor” to finding a record (rare as it may be) that hasn’t made it onto Spotify.

"Ticket prices for Taylor Swift are a recent example. Some were paying several thousand dollars for three hours of live entertainment, money that could buy a good used “starter stereo.”"

Totally insane! Horses for courses, of course...

 

"...is becoming quite well known by the populous..." Populous is an adjective. The "ous" bit is a good indication. Something that has a large population. POPULACE is a Noun and it is what you meant. Sorry for being pedantic, but it is an all too common mistake...

Your post is a good example of why the hobby is dying.

 

"Ticket prices for Taylor Swift are a recent example. Some were paying several thousand dollars for three hours of live entertainment, money that could buy a good used “starter stereo.”"

Totally insane! Horses for courses, of course...

I got on airplanes to see Shaky Graves & Dr Dog and The Flatlanders. Drove 500 miles to see Amanda Ann Pratt & Jewell. The last two local concerts I went to were: Old Crow Medicine Show and Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway. They had to cost at least $700 each for the two of us.

Your perspective might be a problem.