Being an Audiophile, relating to being interested in recorded music in conjunction with quality of playback (Equipmentphile), has been born as a term from the 1950's. Using this as guidance, then anybody bought into Edisons Phonograph 100+ Years past, with a declared passion for the Tool and Music Replays are able to be referred to as a Audiophile.
Audio (sound) Phile (Lover / Admirer) is the basics for the origin of the word, has been corrupted by Marketing Spiel and many variations of the basic meaning over the past 70 years since it has been recognised as a regular used word.
In the era when the term Audiophile was to manifest, Source material for recorded music was limited. Tape will have been the best medium with Vinyl Medium being the second to it.
Today it is quite different, there are multiple Source Option and many options for the Tools to be used to initiate the Replay of the recorded music.
This has expanded on the Numbers of Audiophiles actively participating.
Family Members and their friends all Listen to much more music than I do using electronic equipment as the Tools to create a replay of recorded music.
Associates through Work, also listen to much more music than I do, all using electronic equipment as tools to create the replay of music.
If a Audiophile is some body who enjoys music, especially music reproduced using electronic devices, then the general interactions I have with people daily is strongly suggesting recorded music is extremely attractive to be listened to through electronic devices, by a larger population that at any other time in history.
Where these modern electronic tools used to replay music differ to traditional electronic designs, is in their being very portable, and being readily available to be used, enabling an individual to participate in their interest with numerous opportunities.
Have a look at the success of live music events, Tickets selling out in minutes, this is the real indicator of how the easy to use Source and Electronic Devices seen so commonly in use are impacting on their users to seek out other musical experiences.
The Streaming Services are the ones that really know how many Audiophiles are on this Planet at present. My assumption is that the end figure would excess a multiple of 10K x any figure a forum member would suggest with their limited take on what being an Audiophile means.
Audio Equipment used by those who lock themselves away in a room types, are a dying breed, as in the eyes of those who function day to day with the hobby at their fingertips, locking oneself away in a room as a means of living for a hobby will be viewed a miserable experience, almost sharing the same concerns or very similar, for the Obsessive Gamers who lock themselves down into the Gaming World.
The modern Audiophile is very astute, being better off keeping their funds for having a few weekends away at Multi Day Music Festivals, enjoying numerous live performances listened to through Electronic Equipment, ( another abstract of being an audiophile).
The above mirrors the same that has happened to Photography.
There is a estimation that during the entirety of Film Photography, more images are taken Digital in the past Two Years, than the entirety of Film Photos taken historically. How about adding the Gross of all Digital Images taken and then compare the end figure to the Gross of Film.
Those with an interest in music and are not seeing the large numbers of Audiophiles during their daily activities, really are locked away in their rooms with the Curtains Drawn. Happy Hi Fidelity and Audiophilia.