I think a number of factors are in play. In ye olden times, pre-Internet, hi-fi bugs got together in person. There were far more "brick and mortar" stores where you would encounter like-minded people, as well as thriving audio clubs. (I was fortunate to be a member of the NY Audio Society back in the day when Hy Kachalski ran it out of his home in Rye NY). Even Pittsburgh, where I grew up, had a robust community of audiophiles who would get together at each other’s homes, at dealer showcases, etc.
Our culture changed along with the rest of the world via the Internet. Not just chat boards, but direct sales. Conventional stores withered; fewer occasions for people to share face to face. I think the nature of the web affords us a certain degree of insulation. I remember some of the snark I encountered 20 years ago or more on performance car boards-- I’m actually embarrassed that I engaged in some of it--
There is also an increasingly polarization between the uber high end and what the normal person would consider reasonable. This makes for a certain degree of hostility when someone endorses a 600 thousand dollar speaker or 250 thousand dollar digital server. Many of us built our systems when things audio were far cheaper and we traded up gradually. Today’s economic environment is in some ways more challenging and for someone who doesn’t have the considerable resources to buy "first tier" flavor of the day gear, the alternatives--things like Schitt, or DIY, or adapting "non-audiophile approved" products make sense. (There used to be a "kit" audio product market that only exists in very limited fashion today). But there is a divide that is often manifest in seeing a lot of the marketing for audio as "snake-oil." (I’m not disagreeing to the extent that some businesses are hyperbolic as are reviewers in finding "revelations" in every latest new shiny thing).
We have, in a broader sense, become siloed and to a degree, desensitized by our online world. (The recent sensation of the program "Adolescence" addresses this in the context of youth and Internet bullying). Presumably, most people posting here are not kids, but adults, yet we are still susceptible to attacking or pushing back. And though the issues over which we can argue are ultimately not life critical, it is easy to become "intense" over a position in such an argument. (I don’t view "argument" in a pejorative way, since I look at it as a process of refining issues, and a sort of classical learning sense, rather than a spat or antagonistic disagreement).
Although this board has changed as well-- some of the old timers rarely post here or have gone to that great listening room in the sky and I miss them-- I roll with it, and try to contribute where I can. I’m an older person now, and my priorities are not in building a system or finding a sonically spectacular record- I’ve been through it, and lived it, and if not complacent, feel like I’m in a place where I can enjoy what I have. But, the quest to achieve a goal (whether it is better sound or any other objective) involves a certain degree of competition, if not against others than against some benchmark. And that isn’t always a bad thing---it is part of what makes us seek out answers. And the process isn’t always smooth.
No elbow jabs intended by my remarks. If I got to a point where I thought this board was a shark pit of snark, I wouldn’t be here and would go silently into the night without fanfare. Cordiality is nice, I’m all for considered opinions here rather than in-fighting but I recognize the reality.
