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I wonder how many audiophiles there are these days

There’s a lot of speculation about how this is a dying hobby. I’ve been at this for 40 years, and it certainly isn’t what it used to be. In the old days there were cars and stereos as “toys” and that was about it. Now there’s a long list of competition, together with a general lack of interest in high end sound quality (Pono didn’t make it, which was no surprise). 

My kids friends come over (millennials) and I often get a “wow”, and that’s about it. I keep an old vacuum tube in a drawer to hand them, for the inevitable question “what are those?”. Then I tell them about how I’d go to the drugstore with my dad and do the TV tube test as a regular activity, which usually leads to a strange look and a sudden desire to know what’s for dinner. 

Anyway, there are still many high end equipment companies, probably more than ever, but it’s likely most only sell a handful of units. Serious audio stores are pretty rare, witness the road trips some of us take to just hear a set of speakers. 

If if you define “audiophile” as someone that is seriously interested in this as a hobby, does serious research on components, and is willing to spend a significant sum (which is totally relative), how many of us are there? I suspect at least 10,000, but not more than 50. Total guess, I’m hoping it’s higher because it’s a great hobby and I’d hate to see it get any more rare. 

Probably more important, is whether interest has stabilized. I think it has. There seem to be a lot of younger guys in these forums as well.

What do you think? 
JL


glow_worm
n80
2,133 posts
 
It seems odd to hear audiophiles questioning the benefits of capitalism. I saw a used pair (or maybe it was 3 pairs) of 1.5m long RCA cables on sale for $18,000. And there will be people who will suggest that they make a real and important difference. Must be nice to be in the 0.0001% eh?

If you’re an audiophile who believes capitalism is evil.......time to sell your gear and give the money to someone.....who is downwardly mobile.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
I do not think people were questioning the benefits of capitalism. More like emphasizing negative sides of it. At least that is how I read it.

I have never sold a car. I have always given it away so people could become horizontally mobile. Same for stereo equipment which was, I admit, of a lower overall quality than would be considered "audiophile" these days. As I write this, I feel like Santa Claus.
whoopycat
171 posts
 
Getting back on topic (PLEEZE), it depends on how you define audiophile.  

For traditional, two-channel stereo systems with separate components, it is probably dying.

I think the headphone scene is alive and well.

Whether we like it or not, active speaker systems are on the rise.  Many people love the sound of their Sonos and entry level bluetooth speakers, and it can get better from there, as we are seeing more active speakers by major manufacturers: KEF, Focal, Klipsch, ELAC, Dynaudio, etc.  Plus high end actives such as Kii and Devialet.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
These days, things we like to call "systems" are somehow still relevant. Give it a decade or so, when every current 15-year-old is starting to be a major factor, and it will be no more. As whoopycat suggested, Bluetooth speakers and headphones are probably all that will remain at any level of significance. Some may be better quality (think Dynaudio etc.) but sound quality is not on minds of current teenagers. iPhone speakers are just fine with them, even when given some "more sophisticated" option.
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,632 posts
 
There used to be a ’Statement of Ownership’ printed in the back of magazines in the November issue that gave circulation numbers for that year. There isn’t one in this year’s Stereophile or TAS so maybe that regulation has been discontinued. However, in last November’s Stereophile, the "Total Paid Print Copies + Paid Electronic Copies" monthly average for the preceding 12 months was 68,451, which is not fantastic but enough to feel reasonably good about the number of people still interested in audiophile gear.

I think another measure is the number of companies making audiophile gear. If no one’s buying the stuff, you are gone pretty quickly. I think there are more audiophile companies making more audiophile gear now than ever before. There are probably more companies making high end turntables now than there were makers of all types of high end components in the early 80s.

Every day there are a couple hundred items listed here and I assume most of them sell eventually. I know the stuff I have listed has sold.

The internet has made the buying of audiophile gear less obvious than when there were more local shops around. Remember when shopping malls were packed with stores and shoppers? Now most of them are empty but people are buying more stuff than ever.
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