Any Young Audiophiles Out There?

Not me. I am in my early 30's.

I don't know if I fit the young category anymore at 31 yrs old. I have been into audio and music since I was a teenager and always had decent systems from that point on.

I only got hooked on the really expensive and excellent sounding equipment about 8 years ago in my very early twenties.

I have lots of audiophile buddies but most are quite a few years older than I am. Most of my friends that are the same age as me have multiple young children and are not worried about music or high fidelity systems.

I do have a few buddies my age that are really involved. We are out there just not in huge numbers.

Introduce your friends to it. Some people can appreciate the finer things in life. Some think everything sounds the same.

I have a buddy who owns 20 automobiles. Cars are his hobby and passion. I expect my vehicle to get me where I need to go in a safe and reliable way. I have no interest in owning many different vehicles and working on them all the time. I can however appreciate a beautiful automobile such as a 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible. He probably expects his stereo to work when he turns it on and be reliable. Beyond that he doesn't spend time on it or worrying about it.

He thinks I am nuts for how involved I am in audio and how often I change components and try new cables, cords, tweaks. To each his own.

Hey everyone, don't believe Nicksgem10s for a minute. He's actually 54 but just ACTS like he in his 30s. His system is an old Sony Walkman (yes, the cassette type) with stock headphones and he listens to the Cowsils, the Partridge Family and old Donny Osmond songs (with an occasional diversions like "Feelings" by Morris Albert or Debbie Boone's Greatest Hit)

I am his MUCH younger friend with what he thinks is a high end system (I have an iPod with a Hornet).

Don't feel too bad for Nick though - his twenty something wife buys him all of his gear as she is the real audiophile of the family - I think she just designed a really high-end USB DAC and Nick thought it was a toaster.

My son is 22 months old and every night before bed he says "fi, fi, fi" and I let him turn on our second system, hit "play" and then forward through the tracks on a compilation CD. When a couple of his favourite tracks (Weezer - Island in the Sun, The Cure - Push) come on he turns and starts to dance around. So at least one more is on his way!

Ya got a start 'em young!! Come on all you parents out there!

If you are young, protect your ears. Being over 50 doesn't necessarily mean that your hearing is worse than a younger person's. Heavy bass in car stereo's, loud live concert music, ear bud's turned way up can take their toll no matter what age you are. Taking care now, means you will still have the opportunity to appreciate a good system at any point in your lifetime. Things change. New technology and/or clever purchasing might make what seems hopelessly unaffordable now a reality in the future. If you trash your ability to hear, it won't matter.