I was going to give my son a system, with brand new Solid Steel rack but he has AirPods???


AirPods and iPhones have replaced good 2 channel audio, it's criminal. They don't buy albums, CDs, or even the full album downloads. They've replaced my old 45s with mp3s.
I got him a Solid Steel rack and I can't return it, so what do I do? Sell it on eBay for local pickup or wait for him to get smart. You would think a mechanical engineer wants a Scoutmaster and a beautiful really well designed audio rack. I get he doesn't necessarily want my old Rotel amp and preamp, but I have a set of B&W CM2s on stands and he could get himself a home theater integrated amp and use the system to watch Movies at the least.
Where have we gone wrong?
128x128ctwith3
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It's interesting that this generation *does* like high def video. Why is there a taste for video clarity and definition but not audio? That's a question which I bet goes beyond marketing/advertising to the way we process and/or prioritize sight over sound, biologically.

One thing I appreciate about other audiophiles is the ability to slow down and pay attention to sound. You find this, sometimes, in other realms of appreciation (food, wine, art). It's a basic skill -- paying attention -- but it also speaks to someone's wider set of habits.

In our increasingly online existence, what pays the bills for many (e.g. Google and anyone who need "engagement" from "eyeballs") is "clicks." People click on things when they're prompted, and so our online world is one of constant prompting. Thus, this argument goes, we are increasingly habituated to fast-clicking. The end result is a habit that does not want to slow down and pay attention, calmly. In fact, one doesn't even *consider* slowing down.

Here's nice TED talk on this. Possibly of interest. https://www.ted.com/talks/zeynep_tufekci_we_re_building_a_dystopia_just_to_make_people_click_on_ads?...
There may be a problem beyond; when you attempt to force your kid to like, enjoy what you do. You wish to berate your son for not seeking the same toys that you use?  You seem to expect him to act, appreciate and appropriate as though HE grew up 4 decades ago.  :(   Selll it and learn not to impose. 
Finally, maybe he's smart and will be investing  all the saved money from not buying a media collection. I for one don't think its advantageous to curate a media collection today, and I am hard core Audiophile. He may be scared witless about the economic future.  
(Qeue the disturbed on this site who attempt to turn every thread into a political scree.)
At least he’s listening to music.  As an aside, kids today have access to all kinds of music that we could have only have dreamed of when we were their age. 
It's all about fashion! And the fashion for today's younger generations is portable on-the- go devices connected to the 'Net.