Isn't a wondeful time to be an audiophile?

geoffkait  Am I damned to hell?
Well that depends, are you married?

One thing I think may be a bit different today is that when I went to college, everyone listened to music.  Whether played on a cheap grind o matic stereo or a decent for the day component system, we all listened to each other’s favorites from 68-72.   

I was introduced to Jethro Tull, early Steve Miller while sharing Janis Joplin, Cream, Allman Bros, then hearing Roberta Flack, etc.  It went on and on as the men and women in my social circle all owned albums.  Everyone seemed to have a different favorite and we all grew as a result.   I am not certain that goes on as much these days.

I view the term audiophile as a lover of good music.  We all have different budgets and situations.  Now that the statute of limitations has passed, I have many funny and interesting stories from those times.

I also agree with Elizabeth about newbies and the information they receive regarding gear.   My system has been stable for a while, but there seems to be a proliferation of new equipment and technology in the past number of years.

The other thing about AM was the sound "quality" would frequently get fuzzy at night. Didn't stop me from making mixed tapes though. 

A great time to be an audiophile, and a seemingly bad time to be inna. From my KLH Model 20 I bought in 1970 or something (had a groovy portable Sears rig before that, as my income when younger generally went to poor musician needs), to the amazingly high resolution gear I own now, it's a straight line upwards in the quality of the musical experience. I own used gear that displays an astonishingly high level of musicality, and some newer bits here and there that are relatively inexpensive and sound amazingly good. If any young person is put off by the wealth of information displayed on this or any other hobbyist site, they must be very young or have been kept away from a computer by luddite-like forces, because that's how all things worth knowing about (and some that simply are nonsense) are these days. I'm in a prolonged late life beatnik phase that's led me to more serious jazz both as someone who likes it, and, luckily, someone who mixes live concerts and attends shows here and there. Listen to "Band Menu" by Bill Stewart and if you don't think it's amazingly well recorded stuff, there is simply something wrong with you, or you're unable to assemble a listenable system. Period. So keep grousing "innas of the world," and I'll happily keep enjoying the art that's there for everybody to be enriched by.

I could've mentioned positive points as well but I knew others would.
As for whether or not or both it is good or bad time to be inna, it is a fascinating subject but outside this discussion.
One thing is certain, you can be audiophile in any time period.