Are you too old to be an audiophile?

I believe the mark of any music lover leans toward trained hearing, not (necessarily) top hearing performance. Most of us have no better or worse hearing than the average person. However, unlike the average person, our ear-brain connections have become more discriminating, focused, and appreciative over the years.
An analogy: We can SEE everything that a crime scene detective sees, but unlike us, he immediately recognizes clues and valuable information. His vision is no better than ours, just well-trained.
That said, at 56 I can still hear butterflies land in my neighbor's yard. ; )

Mijs, Bravo!

Frogman, yes, I would assume there is a natural shift toward media and the experience as one gets older. I just chatted with an industry professional the other day who repairs/restores rather large speakers. He recalled the big monsters which he used to use in his main system, but has scaled back his rig. Why? He's getting to the point where he doesn't want to deal with the size of them. Instead of pushing for ultimate performance he is talking about accepting compromises. For whatever reason we all have to do so at some point.

With age I can certainly see that one's emphasis would tilt toward the "leave well enough alone," perspective even when hearing loss is not an issue. When space or energy no longer allow for mucking with the gear what can one turn to as a means of keeping the audiophile fire burning? An endless source of new experiences in music, a tremendously fulfilling alternative to the hunt for the gear. :)

@Frogman Not sure what your point is. I don't come on here to talk to people about music. I like what I like, I don't need people's opinions on music. I do however need opinions on gear because it's impossible to test out every possibility and because people on here know a lot more about what gear is available out there than I do, and how it might be paired to achieve desirable results. Ultimately it is my opinion what sounds good to my ears, but again, as Douglas Schroeder astutely points out, I would like to know if I am taking advice from a buncha deaf old guys with different priorities because of physical limitations. Why is it so hard for people to admit that the ability to HEAR plays at least some role in all of this?
As for the fact that most people are in disagreement with me and Douglas.. again, what is your point? Being in the majority doesn't make you right.

@Mijs, I totally agree with you, and you make a great analogy with the crime scene.

their hearing is the ultimate variable.

However, it is a variable over which we have no control. It MAY (emphasis on MAY) explain some strong differences of opinion over particular pieces of gear, but since there is little I can do about it, and since it is an immutable facet in my perception of sound, I'm not gonna worry too much about it. IOW, I'm gonna trust MY ears, even if they no longer work for $hit due to age and too much R&R in my 'ute ;~)I guess what I am trying to say is that my perception of the music I hear when I sit down tonight is a product of the interaction of the software, each piece of hardware, those little cilia in my cochlea, and my brain. Your perception will not and cannot be the same as mine, unless we are identical twins, with identical environmental exposures, listening to the same recording at the same time. BTW, I accept and respect your explanation of the thread title as an attention getter, but I also understand Dan-ed's taking issue w it. Us old coots can get pretty testy.