Amongst others, I believe that one critical aspect of why high-end audio, in general, and the number of audiophiles are, and have been for many years now, declining at a rapid pace, is because of the depressing decline in the culture and the quality of most music that has been produced over the past 30 years or so. I won’t go into further detail. But you get the idea. In the 50, 60, 70 and 80s, the music itself had more heart, soul, passion, emotion, creativity and "QUALITY." People, young and old, were more passionate about the music back in those years, which is the key to why they were more passionate about their audio equipment for all that time. As the passion for the music itself has declined, so has the passion for the means by which to play it. This is why you see most all current audiophiles (like myself) are now from a bygone era as described above. Happy listening.
What do the statistics say about the age of Audiophiles and the replacement rate?
I'm unable to verify this so I'd like some guidance. I have a family member who is an authorized dealer of some really nice product lines (ARC, Magnepan, Sonus, Bryston).
He won't confirm or deny my hunch, but at his shop I see mostly older white, affluent men. I see very few middle age men and no men in their 20s. I don't keep all shop hours, but I do spend about 15 hrs./wk. there. My relative won't show me his sales demographic but I can see with my own eyes.
So my question is this: Is there an equivalent replacement stream of new blood entering the Audiophile world or not? Do you have statistical proof?
If the universe of Audiophiles (supposedly 20,000 in the lower 48) is indeed shrinking where does that leave the manufacturers and dealers?
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When I was in my late twenties I would drive up a hundred miles to Phoenix and go to the dealer that sold Audio Research equipment to listen to it and other components that I could not afford. I would see these old guys... you know the same age group that could afford the Corvette (different subgroup thought). They would come in and haul off the equipment I was drueling over. Fast forward 40 years... now I'm the old guy doing that. |
I believe that what made high-end audio so very compelling and successful in our day (for decades) was #1: how compelling the music was for all those years. The music (passion) is what actually produces audiophiles, and future audiophiles. The music is what drives the high-end audio industry and not the opposite. I believe that, more than anything, IMOH, bad, non-compelling, poor quality music, over the past 30 years or so, has really hurt the high-end audio industry. Happy listening. |
@bdp24 Brother Hitch, as we called him, was a dear friend, although neither a melomaniac nor an audiophile. Like Molly Ivins, living larger than life allows but leaving unforgettable shadows. |
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