It's a wonderful hobby, but I don't know anyone who thinks it's "cool".
I wish it was.
I was pleasantly surprised last week when one of my sons’ friends was visiting from out of state and at the house, and my 28-yr old son went out of his way to show him my gear. He was proud, they thought it was “cool”. But since it wasn’t even turned on at the time, it certainly had nothing to do with the sound. But it was still memorable. Jim