Will Technology Kill the Audiophile Hobby?

curiuosjim.....you answered the question perfectly. However, it is an interesting question by the OP to pose what may happen in 2000 years.
Technology will continue to advance to levels we can't even imagine today. Probably, there will be astounding advances in the next 5 or 10 years that we couldn't imagine possible today.

One thing that won't change in the near term is the human ear. Maybe some time in the future people can get a "bionic ear" implant that will increase their hearing ability to astounding levels. Back to the original post....assuming human hearing remains the same the next 2000 years, who can say that audio technology won't advance to a level we can't imagine today? Maybe.....Maybe not.

Nothing wrong in looking at the future of audio. It's just hard for me to look that far ahead. We don't know if our world will end in 2000 years or next week. Killer asteroid or something else. If it's climate change I would like to be invited to the next conference on that. Maybe, Al Gore will give me a ride to that on his private jet.

larry5729 ...

Regarding your post ... I spent 40 years (now retired) in the residential real estate business. Over that time span, I had access to many thousands of homes. It always amazed me how many homes (most) didn’t have any music or books. How does one survive with no music and/or good literature? Oh yes, they always had a TV, some expensive ones too. But how much inspiration can one glean from Jerry Springer or CNN? ... kind of the same thing in my opinion.

Far into the future, I see no possibility for high-end audio, or music in any form for that matter. Freedom of thought and spirit will be long gone, and with it, the desire for music or any of the arts.

The quest for exact equality will have been attained. Individual names will be replaced with numbers and there will be a total caste system.

There will be no currency other than digital bytes, operated through an implant under the skin. Money in the form of currency will have been long gone in the name of convenience and safety. Each individual "number" (humanoid) will receive credits from the central banking authorities, and they will spend digital debits.

All thoughts, in the name of political correctness, and to avoid hateful thought crimes, will be monitored by the Central Authority in Brussels. Wrong thoughts? No credits. No credits, no food or shelter.

There will be no new technology because desire has been murdered through lack of motivation. No need to be motivated when everything is assigned to you ... your housing, clothing, transportation, and health care will all be controlled by the Central Authority. Your uniform will designate your stature in society, and also your occupation.

Breeders will wear specially designed uniforms. All others will be kept from breeding ... Can’t have inferior humanoids, right?

Humanoids 2000 years from now won’t find it odd at all that there are no people over the age of 50.
 
How did all of this come about? Because long ago, way back in the 21st Century, the politicians in every party ceased working for the interests of the people and worked instead for special interests. People sought another way, and finally, they gave up on freedom and liberty and chose security instead. I think they called it something like economic and social justice and they were promised lots of free stuff.

2000 years from now, they will be holding celebrations honoring the most advanced technology invented over their past 100 years ... the candle.

Frank

Let's take that scenario another 1000 years into the future and we'll be the ones mutilating cattle and abducting some primitive version of ourselves, probing and experimenting on them in the pointless pursuit of regaining our older existence.

All the best,
Nonoise

Frank, great post. But I wouldn’t blame politicians for everything, they are not worse than average person and reflect them.
Terrifying perspective.

Its also possible, bar a few specialist groups that still know how to play an instrument, that new music will be so much worse than the rubbish broadcast on mainstream radio now, that you wouldent want to listen to it anyhow. The origonal tapes of the quality music made in the last fifty years will have deteriorated and all we have left are low sampled digital copies. I can see music lovers having a synthesiser that produces music in the genre that is selected. Maybe with thousands of digital backtracks.