Sound Quality Matters

As an as aside, I have found dynamic JBL horns also breathe life into music of all kinds :)  

I agree the recording quality matters. Although most listening by most people is of music reproduced poorly I have yet to see when well recorded music, played in correct phase, over a good system and good speakers has failed to put life into listeners :)  

I would like to see the break down by country.I imagine the USA falls short compared to places like France(nice systems everywhere),Hong Kong,Taiwan & Japan(per capita)..It seems to me that in the USA,muggles still don’t invest in decent A/V systems & Fitness probably dominates a high % of listening time for them.At home listening still remains as background noise save for a movie or 2 & Best Buy all in 1 systems still rule there.
At least millenials are driving the mid/high level headphone scene,perhaps they will start to rub off on the rest of America.

Not surprising at all.