can this fact be accurate?

I am pretty amazed at the 100,000 figure, to be honest- it would not surprise me if that number was 25,000. I live in a Northern California, we have a Club, we get about 30-40 people for a big event. I'd imagine in smaller towns/area-they may not a single person into high-end audio.

a bit off topic, but somewhat related. I was reading an article about a LP release--from a major rock band, the LP was 22 in the charts, but had sold only 27,000 copies in the US. Contrast that to a recent video came release (Call of Duty?), that sold over 20,000 copies in each store. It tells me, people have other priorities than music.

If this statement really is a fact (which I cannot confirm or deny), it is accurate. ;-)

Kal

Based on just an uninformed gut feel, that number sounds about right. Even if it's all USA, high-end is still a niche market and I agree that there's a lot of manufacturers out there fighting it out for a small market. That's why I choose to buy my gear from established manufacturers. Who knows which ones will survive the audio wars.

It would depend on how someone defines what a high end audiophile is? If you would define it as someone with a system with a value of over $100,000, then that number could be alittle high! If a $10,000 system was the benchmark, then that number would be alittle low. The statement is rather meaningless in and of itself!

According to the November issue of Stereophile, they have Total paid distribution of about 65,000 copies.

IMHO, the only hope for the high end is server based digital and high-res downloads. If Apple decided to do something with this it could revitalize high end audio.

Kal, I can't understand why the high end magazines push vinyl and denigrate digital when this is the path to a slow death for the high end. Can you set me straight?