What's going on with the audio market?

Real Hi-Fi has always been the providence of a discriminating extreme minority. When I discovered it (via, once again, my friend Pete C.), no one else I knew cared; but then, they were for the most part musician’s, the least caring of all, generally speaking. Ironic. When I got Tympani’s and ARC amps in ’72, my friends were still playing LP’s on their childhood phonographs. When after a long separation I in the early 2000’s saw an old friend, he, upon seeing my Infinity RS-1b’s, said "Ya know, people don’t have big speakers anymore" (no doubt with pictures of Bose wall-mounted speakers in his mind); I replied "They never did". Which was not actually true, in one way; when he and I were in a Band together in ’71, our Band house had a pair of Voice-of-The-Theater speakers (our P.A.) in the living room. And people think Maggies are big?! Now it’s down to computer speakers, at best, for most people. Perhaps getting a turntable will spur an interest in that new buyer of Hi-Fi in general. I believe even entry-level products are viewed as luxury items by the general population. The products musician’s choose (with a few notable exceptions, like Henry Rollins. The big Wilson’s are in his living room!) are all of the professional grade (crap), whatever they see advertised in the music mags and on the shelves at Guitar Center.

whart and fourwnds, great posts, all true. The people I see all around me are so distracted, thumbing on their smart phones while doing everything else, even in a movie theater! Sensory overload. Short attention spans, a general sense of anxiety, increasing health and weight issues (too busy on their sp to get any exercise), and everybody tired and fatigued. Mainstream music has been cheapened to the point of it not being worth it's asking price (except for the isolated "song"), which is now almost nothing (except for new LP's ;-). Music is not currently of major importance in most people's lives. The participants here are the members of their own 1%! The future looks grim to me, but then like whart I'm a pessimist. Or as I like to think of it, realist.

As I feared. And I can’t really argue the point, or offer a defense, can I? But I did think it was related to the mention of the movie, and the decline in standards, both in terms of music systems/listeners, and America itself. Does that make me an a-hole :-( ? Hopefully Donald Trump will become President, and make America great again ;-).

Absolutely jmc! Speaking of which, is it too much to ask for "to" and "too" to each be used where and when appropriate? They do mean different things, after all. I don’t want that to sound condescending or smug, but sheesh, c’mon man!