Encouraging people to consider a traditional 2 channel stereo system.
IEMs, headphones, streaming by phone...if someone even listens at all.
How can we as enthusiasts in this hobby get people interested in a more traditional 2 channel stereo setup using speakers and associated gear?
Even cheaper ChiFi sounds pretty good compared to what some of us had when we first started but it doesn't take a fortune to build nice sounding systems that work well and can be enjoyed for many years.
What can we do to support this hobby, its gear manufacturers and promote physical media too although many may prefer streaming?
Essentially, promoting a gateway into the hobby as well as a pathway for growth and upgrading over the long term?
No use trying to convert anyone, they either get it or they don't (care).
Most people today look for quantity over quality and convenience in a small package. They don't want a stack of components wired together.
I am at peace knowing that my system is for my enjoyment, and no longer care if anyone else thinks Im nuts. I do still love it when someone gets blown away by it, but that is usually not going to convert them. Different strokes for different folk, and I think we can all agree that "audiophiles " are different folks.
Let them be. We become a nuisance doing that. Because people do not have the luxury of space to use, they don't live where that is ideal or they want the binaural nature of headphones and IEMs.
I have speakers and IEMs and they both serve their purposes. I didn't have the space for speakers so I didn't get any till last year when I moved into my new space. So let people be. Only thing they're truly missing out on is the psychoacoustic phenomenon of staging in front of them. But they'd trade that for no room issues which is more than 50% of what to look out for when using speakers
I suppose invite youngsters over, directly or indirectly. I guess, by that I mean under 30 years old.
When I was in that age group I remember a couple of experiences of being over an someones house (by accident) with a truly great stereo. The sound stuck in my mind... typically it looked incredible as well... Marantz with the oscilloscope (I was on my way to becoming a scientist... so that was wonderfully tech).
There are 10s of thousands (if not 100s of thousands) of valuable used gear lying around and literally dying with all these wealthy old people. Start giving it away or selling it for a very low price to young people who care. I am neither old nor wealthy but I don’t keep anything I don’t use, I give it away.
Lenny Florentine regularly posts videos with warehouses with thousands of vintage amps and receivers in impeccable shape. No one ever will use it, I am afraid, it's such a waste.
I have 3 adult children. I gave two of them vintage rigs consisting of Marantz, Klipsch, and Bluesound streamer. The other a Sansui receiver , Klipsch Heresy’s and a Schiit DAC. The third has a full Sonos surround, so I bought her an automatic TT. So as mentioned above share the wealth. Find some deserving teens that would value ownership and invest in them. Where I live there are Zero brick and mortar stores, but I’ve built my system with Rogue, Schiit, Zu, Tekton, Richard Gray, Mike Morrow and Dennis Had. I buy vintage tubes from Arizona tube supply and Brent Jesse and there’s also Vintage Tube supply. So I try to support American manufacturers. No politics just trying to share the love. Respectfully, Mike B.
I have one friend who has a nice 2-channel system, but he also works at a high-end store.
None of my other friends or family have any interest in high performance 2-channel gear.
This is (and always has been) a niche hobby. No different than other niche hobbies that attract a few followers, but offer no interest to the vast majority.
My interests are the stereo, cars, and lawn & garden.
Shared passion within narrow community, mostly dead passion at this level.
The world moves on from china and flatware setting for 10 people regularly given to newlyweds and silver tea trolleys adorning posh homes. New Asian podments usually do not have a kitchen, they eat exclusively on the street.
Prized possessions no longer prized by next generation. And does it really matter what most listen through? So much really is disposable material. We enjoy for our sakes and ignore the rest. Cheers
You list IEMs, headphones and streaming as if they’re not valid ways of listening to, and enjoying music. The forums and media catering to these users have just as much enthusiasm and passion as those here using traditional systems, while generally being more open to others opinions and understanding that we all hear things differently.
30 years ago, elderly schmos endlessly deplored the "kids" lack of interest in cars.
What they really meant was that no one under the age of 100 gave a crap about $200,000 faux-Foose hot rods being driven 100 miles a year to cars and coffees and small-town parades.
Meanwhile, the kids were happily swapping, tuning and turbocharging all manner of humble Civics. But those aren’t real cars, you see! Rings a bell?
Another thing is, no one with intact cognitive abilities will tolerate being lectured about $1000 USB cables and $3000 network switches for long, nor about mummified Audiophiles prattling on about the unwashed proletariat’s envy of their highly resolving systems which they, of course, can’t afford. Just sayin
So many variables and posts that I agree with in this thread. Vinyl had a resurgence which I’m sure captured a portion of the younger population. In correlation (not saying causation), older Marantz receivers prices went up exponentially over the course of a few years, which I’d like to think went into the hands of younger generations around the same time.
I feel like I’ve read a few articles in the past suggesting how the resurgence in vinyl started, but I’d love to see some hard numbers on the age ranges and this physical medium. Unsure how you would track the same for Marantz which is simply a left-field connection I’m trying to make.
I will generalize at the chance of rebuttal for generalizing.
As a member of the Baby Boomer generation and in my teens during the Year of Love, no matter how shallow or deep your hippie social- democratic philosophies were at the time, everyone strived to own the best stereo they could afford, because music was part of the movement. As boomers aged, they kept their passion for music as a means of social expression, and as they became more affluent, they developed a focus on materialism, which together facilitated growth of the hi-end market. The generations after X, seem to focus on the experience rather than materialism, with certain exceptions such as cars, bling, and cloths including sneakers. These exceptions become part of an experience. So if you wish to impress the value we audiophiles see in hi-end equipment to younger generations, make it an experience in some way. I will never forget going to the high school music teacher’s home in queens for a barbecue and him demonstrating his Mac floor to ceiling line array speakers, 4 mono amps, preamp, Thorens TT, and Tanberg real to real playing Led Zeppelin ll, and Copland Fanfare. It was an experience I will not forget.
I have shared my passion and hobby with others but find most people are not that into the equipment. The good news is that most people I know love music so however they enjoy it is fine with me. I have my endgame setup and a portable Bluetooth speaker and a lot of equipment in between. The one constant is my music on Qobuz. I’m listening wherever I am and loving it.
What's wrong with headphones? I've got a great 2-channel system. I've also got a great headphone system. Having one does not automatically exclude the other. Headphones do not automatically equate to earbuds on an iPhone.
I would believe that that the vast majority of us here are either Baby Boomers or Gen X.
Think back to your 20’s, if someone 30+ years older than you tried to get you involved in their hobby that most likely started when they were in their 20’s.
Now, try to put yourself in that mindset in 2025, then imagine some old guy trying to get you into a traditional 2 channel audio system.
If kids love music (we know they do) and care about how it sounds (why wouldn’t they?), then at some point in their musical evolution they’ll arrive at the conclusion that 2-channel is where it’s at. Because it is. No worries!
To me the missing link is Bose. (If it was a gateway product) How they sold 10s of millions of units. I honestly don't know how, because I never had any itch to buy their products. But they sold to people rich and poor it played music and made them feel special and they enjoyed (I think) the music
Can anyone replicate it today? Alexa?
An important fact is that most people who own something that plays music don't use it. Other than at Christmas.
nonoise - yes - But I think it goes deeper. Old people, like me and others, still value and evaluate music from the standpoint of a live performance. In my case LA Phil, Hollywood bowl and other venues. My goal is to imitate that. The best electronics are still an imitation. Things like the strike of a drum where the attack is a nuanced but present part of the sound. When you have no idea what real live music, regardless of genre, sounds like compressed digital over mediocre earbuds can and frankly does sound good. But not great. Many simply have no baseline comparison.
If kids love music (we know they do) and care about how it sounds (why wouldn’t they?), then at some point in their musical evolution they’ll arrive at the conclusion that 2-channel is where it’s at. Because it is. No worries!
I'd suggest that younger people are demonstrating an active interest in high-fidelity audio in several ways (some assist here from AI):
Embracing Lossless Streaming and Hi-Res Audio: With services like Spotify HiFi (forthcoming) and Apple Music Lossless becoming more accessible, younger listeners are increasingly opting for higher-quality audio formats over compressed files.
Rediscovering Physical Media (Vinyl and CDs): There's a notable resurgence in physical music formats, particularly vinyl records and, to a lesser extent, CDs. It's reasonable to think that the tactile experience, the album artwork, and the sense of ownership – along with turntable purchases shows interest in audiophilia.
Investing in Quality Headphones and IEMs (In-Ear Monitors): Many younger listeners are moving beyond basic earbuds and investing in higher-quality headphones and IEMs.
Engaging with Audio Communities Online: Social media platforms, forums (like Reddit's r/audiophile), and YouTube channels dedicated to audio gear, reviews, and listening experiences are thriving with younger viewers/listeners.
Exploring Vintage Audio Gear: There's a growing trend among younger enthusiasts to seek out and even restore vintage audio equipment like old receivers, turntables, and speakers. Some of this evinces appreciation for classic design and build quality.
Think about it. Let's say you got interested in audio in the 60's, 70's, even the 80's. What were the options? What would you have been into in the following decades? I honestly can't say for myself. In the 60's and 70's I was all into better sound. I was horrified riding with friends who had an 8 track in their vehicle. The stuff others had at home was beyond horrible, although they felt that, turning it up loud enough, made it all ok. There were some good electronics back then, i.e. Dynaco et al.., but the speakers were crap. I mean, really, essentially crap. The high end meant acoustic suspension, like AR. That meant lots of bass, and play it loud. There wasn't streaming, there weren't AirPods, tubes were out and terrible SS was in, and then, for heaven's sake, came "perfect sound" and digital, as though no one was actually listening to this stuff. I remember going a few miles to a hifi shop in Jacksonville and hearing Heart's Dreamboat Annie played on a set of Dahlqiust DQ-10's. What the hell! I was hooked! Nowadays that would lkely not have occurred. Although good old 2 channel still remains the best, the other options are quite distracting, not to mention easy. You can hook your phone up to a couple of wireless speakers or earphones and it's pretty good. For most people pretty good is good enough. In times past, those were 8 track people. There are more of them now, and for them that's just fine. I go crazy riding with people like my son who has background streaming stuff going in his car all the time. It's hard to introduce real 2-channel audio to people for whom music is like riding in an elevator. It's not like decades ago when the difference was more extreme and the options less. Face it, most people read trash novels and have no perception of the great books. It's no different in audio. Most people, for better or for worse, are simply not going to be connoisseurs. But some people always will be. It's just not as easy for them to find the good stuff as it once was. You never know. My #2 son, in his 40's, suddenly discovered classical music and started learning piano and going to concerts. My #1 son, who is a natural musician, is still living with Nirvana and tapping his fingers along with his car streamer set to background volume. You can't worry about this. Just enjoy what you enjoy, show interested others what you have, and don't sweat the small stuff. There's a whole lot of small stuff.
What’s worked for me is just to let people listen.
The basics of my system have been evolving and improving over a number of years. Some was vintage when I started, some has become vintage over time, but it's been modified, reconfigured, and refined about as far as I can take it. After chasing out most of the gremlins I could find, it’s gotten to the point where I honestly feel that it’s on the impressive side for what is not a high dollar rig.
The system can play CD, SACD, LP, or from a PC. I have 3 sons who all come over and listen periodically for an audio and music night, and sometimes they’ll bring friends....most/many of them have some version of a home theater setup, and they’re typically pretty impressed with the soundstage and clarity that an old school stereo system can produce. They often report how boring their systems sound when they go back home and listen.
Based on the growth of vinyl sales, seemingly endless choices in stereo equipment, and a wide range of price points, I'm not sure the industry needs any help.
Our audio chains are sonically optimized to each of our personal subjective preferences, so others demoing our systems the sonics may not resonate with them.
I've always had a good 2 channel system at 79 in the old days 2 channel's all there was. Now my system will blow your socks off even if you're not wearing any. Music recording and concerts are always 2 channel. Also have a 9 channel Dolby Atmos surround system with Klipsch speakers for movies , TV shows and sports. The idea is the soap opera effect which immerses you in the experience but I don't like that for music because it doesn't seem real. Just me I guess
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