I think even if we look among our own demographic, there is only a small fraction who are bitten by the bug. Most are satisfied with a modest set up (the standards for that have changed too, and some would argue for the better), without delving deeply into the hobby.
I can think of a few people over the years who did catch the fever. Did I plant the seed? Doubtful. Over the years I have had a number of people listen to different systems set up in my homes, but I suspect that those that did get "into" hi-fi already had a predisposition to getting involved in the pursuit of sound. I certainly know of people with far more resources than me who could easily buy state of the art systems, but don't. It just isn't as important a part of their lives. That isn't to say they don't listen to music or enjoy it.
We are hobbyists who pursue an interest in something that, for many people, is a far more pedestrian pursuit- like the hot rod example someone gave above---how many people drive automobiles but don't get into modifying, tuning, taking advanced driver instruction, go to the track, etc.
The "high-end" press has been lamenting the dwindling number of enthusiasts for decades (and it's been a long time since I gave up reading the audio magazines).
I had posed a similar question on a hi-end forum a few years ago-- whether we were the "last generation" to have come to adulthood with the aspiration to build a serious hi-fi system. I did get some pushback, in the sense that some younger people were not into their peak earning years yet, that the high-end headphone crowd was just as serious, etc. All true, but in some ways, like all analog production, we are a niche of a niche. In fact, if I were starting out today, I'd seriously wonder whether I'd even be involved in using LPs as a playing medium at this point. I'm not despairing of change--it's a normal process of life. In fact, it seems like more change has occurred in the last decade or so than at any time in my 7 decades on the planet.
Here's to enjoying what you have or want.
Bill
