John Atkinson wrote in 2005 that from 1986 to 2005, the median age of Stereophile subscribers rose from 38 to 48-- at half the rate of chronological aging. Assuming that "Atkinson’s Law" continues, the median age for active participation in the hobby is now 53. Adjust for the unhealed wound that the industry suffered in 2008, for retirement planning, for high inflation in audio pricing, and for gradual ramping of boomers through the actuarial table. You get the idea. Can Jams have been one of the few consistent rays of hope at the audio shows..I suppose we have Dr.Dre to thank for that.
Activity varies with the topic, MHO. With the advent of 'PC-fi', there's interest in adapting one's current system to the 'new standard of standardness'; that's where there's the typ. 'Q&A' happening. Those who've made a substantial investment already seem to have hunkered down and will only make a move 'sideways' to something that's either come on the market at a price point they can live with or 'trade across' to something they've lusted for that's become available used. The 'hi-end' market has become so esoteric and pricey that having to choose between a nice pair of monoblocks or a car 'update' or covering the kid's college tuition or co-signing for a house makes matters moot. I spent the bulk of my time on the DIYA forums of my choice, because that's what I can afford and where my primary interests lie. The bulk of the new gen market is 'into' the iThing/PC/Bluetoothed/AV interconnectability realm, and 'hi-end' to them is what they have NOW. Irregardless that us 'old timers' listen to this stuff and shake our heads in disbelief or at worse disgust. Until and unless they hear something that will make them pause and ponder, that's where the 'bleeding edge' IS, and will remain, the Moore's Law moving target. I'm not surprised by this. If I didn't know better, due to 'age and experience', I'd be part of that chase too. Now I'm just picky as to what I let into my life, and the level of extremism I'm willing to go to. I've consciously set 'the bar' a bit lower, as age and knowledge has superseded mere gadget lust. Age, because I don't have 'dog whistle' hearing anymore. Knowledge, as in recognition of the previous and that copper can be made only so pure and the pursuit of more zeros right of the decimal point becomes more of a bragging point than a unbiased A/B test in a listening environment that looks like a NASA facility.... ...and I don't want one of those, either...anymore. I used to have a pile that was occasionally referred to as the 3rd member of the household and was just short of having a manual to get it up and running. The SAF was reached at that point.... I have Something Similar at this time, but it's not in the 'general living area'. The GLA has something far simpler, but still has too many remotes for her taste; fortunately ONE does suffice for most daily distractions... Time has changed the playing field; forums for the new field are Elsewhere. Those of us who care about such are Here. We're in decline. 'Twas always thus. Maybe we can be the shoulders that get stood upon if we're lucky....
There is already more information and discussion available than any one person could read. New stuff comes up all the time but not all in one place. I am seldom not able to find info on a topic with a search. Most common important topics have been beaten to death already by now. Normal stuff. We are probably past the peak in terms of activity but so are most things that have been around awhile and not new or trend worthy.
The more people seemingly become connected through the web the more in fact they become disconnected to the point of virtual isolation. If it is a progress they want they may have it and see where it leads.
As much as I hate to say/think it, the hobby's dying. Don't get me wrong, it will always exist, but its glory days very well may have happened in the last century. I'd agree that Headfi has very robust activity but it's not solely dedicated to audiophile (fact is, the amount of anti-audiophile ranting over there can be surprising). For me, I love my music and my gear and choose not to lament about the state of affairs as it doesn't affect that love in any way.
There is still lots of activity everyday here. Many of those who've been here since the beginning seem put off by many of the newer members who don't treat others with respect and seem to be here to score points in an imaginary of "Who's The Expert?". For an all-things-audio perspective, this site is still the best online IMHO. It's far from dead.
I also used to read AudioAsylum regularly, but it really seems to have less participation than ever and it feels like the average participant there doesn't really want to hear much about anything newer than the Elcaset.
Computeraudiophile and headfi both have vibrant specialist communities. The former is teeming with knowledge and constant product updates both on hardware and software, but the tolerance is low for newbies who are too lazy to search archives before posting questions that have been covered. For me, it's currently the place with all the real audio action, even though I wish that were still here.
Headfi is the place for all things headphones and related gear. It's a very young & global community and "My 'Murica" will need to open their eyes & hearts a bit in conversation with many ESL typers, etc. Hey, remember that their English is better than my Norwegian, Mandarin, etc!
Audio enthusiasts are still busy online, we might just all have to dig a bit more to connect. Cheers, Spencer
Audiophile forums and our hobby have not been the same since the market crash and soft economic recovery. It hardly takes Janet Yellen to predict sluggish high-end audio sales or a lack of exuberance in participation, because we don’t fit neatly into a standard luxury product model.
Audio rags have pretty much served their purpose and seen their lime light and now the scattered intellect of the web has our members more divided than ever. More/better informed? That could be debatable.
Exasperated locally by the subsequent sale and restructuring of A’gon also imo left a lot of folks less enthusiastic about sharing in the experience. And yes, on the whole, the dominant segment of audiophiles with deep pockets are growing older fast, and more cautious as well.
It takes a confluence of favorable conditions to create the robust specialized market we once enjoyed. The shear volume of high-end gear that was once available from day to day offered us a "kids in the candy store" situation which was rare and used sales fueled new sales and the overall enthusiasm. One might have thought it would never end...
I spent about 15 years buying Classic equipment and then 5 selling it off. Now that most of the classic stuff is 40-50 years old, I find it doesn't sound very good unless truly refurbished...
In response to french_fries reference to MQA BORG technology, I'm sending my audio flux capacitor immediately to Ric Shultz for the full Millenium Falcon Level lll modification rendering all cloaking of reference recordings futile. How many shekels will this insanity cost me?
As a matter of fact, I am pretty much set with my present system after getting a pair of Zu Event series I speaker cables. They really make me wonder if anything aside from PC audio would be a real step up.
I'm only a month and two days away from retirement and like the old saying about a man's mind being wonderfully concentrated the day before he's to be executed seems to apply here.
As for older, classic equipment, I can't say one way or the other. There's only so much out there, most have been taken, and the rest seems to have sparked a rekindled interest of sorts. Like anything old, what goes around, comes around.
Now that the Absolute Sound Mag. is waxing so enthusiastically about Meridian's MQA technology, we are going to have to adjust our thinking all over again about getting even more realism out of our systems. I already have invested in CD's, Tapes, Vinyl, and an IPAD and MAC-Mini formats, and yes, i am weary of even more technology that is superseding what i have already spent an obscene amount of money on. And, with amplifiers costing over $150K and the latest speaker tech (Magico, Wilson, Focal, etc.) that HAS to be the next thing on my shopping list, i enjoy the pretty pictures for a few minutes, and then put on the radio so i don't even have to get up anymore. OTOH, when and if a store can sell off all my present gear and set up all this new stuff customized for my room, all guaranteed to thrill me beyond my wildest expectations, i will make out ONE check to make it happen. Maybe....
I agree with jafant, many more choices out there these days for a dwindling audience. Audiogon forums are heavily moderated, many choose to go to other forums, where more freedom is allowed.
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