??? Are Manufacturers Killing Our Hobby ???

Hello Freediver, your query got my "research juices" flowing.  Primarily I had to ask myself, "Hmmm, just how many audio equipment manufacturers are there currently?  I went to a data source 9Boldthat I've used previously to get an estimate.  Here's what BoldData estimates currently. Worldwide there are (I've rounded their figures) approximately 48,600 audio equipment manufacturers.  China leads with 8,000 followed by India with 7400 and U.S. third at 5545.  These 3 countries hold 42% of the global market with total sales at about $16.3 billion.  Another source is "Mordor Intelligence" with forecasts total sales in this market to reach $23 billion by 2030.  Those figures would indicate that the apparent "proliferation" of manufacturers is not hurting the A.E market buy contributing to its growth.  Of course, there is a wide range of quality and price points produced within those 48,600 A.E manufacturers necessary to penetrate the diverse global customer base.  I was most enlightened after my brief research of this subject. Thanks for your question.

Enjoy the music.

Typo correction chalk it up to my all thumbs typing. Primary data source should read "BoldData" not "9Bold".  Opps, My bad

Hey there Freediver, as you I was also not aware of audio equipment made in India.  The market size just in that country alone approaches $1billion and the target audience is primarily Indian Gen Z'ers. High volume pieces are headphones, earbuds, mini-speakers and soundbars.  Home theater is also a rapidly growing segment in India.  The major Indian manufacturers are, in alphabetical order, Ahuja, Boat, Boult and Mivi.  All of the companies design and manufacture their items at India based facilities.  With the worlds largest population and the aforementioned $1 billion sales volume its not surprising we have not yet seen these products outside of India.  But I suspect that the dynamics of our global economy will change that sooner than later.

Enjoy the music.