The audio industry offers nothing for young people to get into the hobby. There are no stepping-stone brands anymore. Manufacturers and many hi-fi enthusiasts consider anything under $3k "affordable." But to a person who just got out of college and probably has $100k in college debt, a $10k system is not within his/her budget. The gear they might afford is pretty much garbage. The only course today is vintage gear other than Harman Kardon, Marantz, Pioneer and Sansui. I recently set up a decent (not super hi-fi but decent) system for my sister-in-law consisting of a Scott 335R receiver, a Sony turntable and two Dayton Audio speakers for less than $300. Is it the equivalent of something that we would consider worthy? Of course not, but it's a beginning. She enjoys it and it serves her purposes. Why do the people on this forum always mock beginner systems? We all had to start somewhere and I doubt if we all bought McIntosh or PS gear as our first stereo.
More potential bad news for some big names...