What's going on with the audio market?


Recent retail sales reports are very bad and I am hearing that sales for audio equipment have been nonexistent over the past few months.  I also see more dealers putting items up for sale here and on other outlets.  Even items that have traditionally sold quickly here are expiring without being sold. 

To what would you attribute the slowdown?  Have you changed your buying habits for audio equipment and, if so, why? 
theothergreg
jafant,

I don’t know you, but I have read many of your post. People like you make it hard to continue to be part of Audiogon. This is a hobby that should be fun; therefore I don’t understand the need to use such foul language or talk politics on an Audio Forum.
Easy ricred1,

my 1st Amendment rights (in which I protect) have been violated.
Dear all:(from Santiago,Chile)
excuse my english. I am a old surgeon,72, near retired,and I am in this crazy world since near 50 years, At this time,I knew a pretty Bang Olufsen receiver(B&O 1000) and a reel to reel Tandberg,valvular.  I was amazed a long time with my first stereo audition,and then beguin my concern for to buy all the not news Bang or Tandberg that I would see at the newspapers and now in ebay...
Nobody of my son like for his or her house this device...I have in the basement a room for personal audition,plenty of loudspeakers,old german valvular radios,transistors receivers,etc.
Y think that,I must not buy any new or used device¡¡¡¡¡
Thanks for yours input

You don’t protect your 1st Amendment rights anymore than I do. After 50 years on this earth I’ve learned to stay away from, not talk to, or simply ignore people that I perceive to be like you. Unfortunately, Audiogon doesn’t have an unfriend like Facebook. This will be the last conversation I ever have with you again.
I am 67. I purchased my 1st system in 1968 ( Dual 1019,JBL SA 600, JBL Lancer 99's)
and still have it. Have bought several other systems in last 10 years using Legacy,
Merlin and Klipsch speakers. I listened to the music when I was young with friends.
It was a shared passion of my generation. Now I often sit alone with a SME turntable,
tube phono amp feeding a tube preamp into a 450 watt per channel amp into
6' high speakers each with three 15"woofers plus a massive sub. My step daughter
told me politely she did not wish to hear it because she might not be satisfied afterwards
with her MP3 device and ear buds. My wife primarily listens after a live concert so
she can hear what the artist should have sounded like. Music is now basically
free and sound quality not very important . It's background music when doing
something else .  I can afford this stuff now but much of the meaning is gone.
Note that many of the albums advertised were recorded decades ago.  I don't
see big footprint , high dollar, physical media music purchased by the new
generation in large quanities.