Fast forward 25 years, what will audio be like?

"04-25-14: Joman
Entry level system 1.5 million dollars"

If Schubert is right, and he usually is, we won't be using dollars anymore.

Well, let's look BACK twenty five years to refresh our memories of how much change has truly occurred (or hasn't) over the previous twenty five. Personally, I don't think that, fundamentally, it will be that much different than it is now. Sure, there will be some new digital format(s), music downloads will have an even larger share of all music sales, and we are sure to see ever more expensive gear. However, I predict that vinyl will still be considered king by many, and tubes will still be around in spite of "advances" in ss technology. I also predict that the biggest surprise for audiophiles will come in the areas of power delivery/"conditioning" and, for the masses, in modulated ultra sound technology for wireless and speaker- less surround sound.

Wow thats VERY important!!

Amazing how some people just can't help but be jerks, Who said anything about importance? That was precisely my point. Or was my point too subtle for you to grasp?

I'll weigh in here, just for fun:
the interface will be an optical implant, ala the Google contact lense that was recently mentioned in the news as the next step after Google Glass- you scroll through all available music and make selections with blinks and specified eye-movements;
all recorded material in the universe will be available, whether or not you bought it- assuming copyright laws still exist, there will be a standard tariff imposed on your personal debit account whenever you access material;
personal playback system is also bionic/implants, rather than crude earbuds- not necessarily hi-fidelity, but you can go spendy on these rather than the standard versions if you want- the standard versions are just for voice transmission, including government announcements; hacks will include illegal modifications to prevent hearing 'news' and other publicly mandated information that ordinarily overrides all personally selected material;
physical systems will involve beams that generate sound from a point source;
The 'Pet Shop Boys' will be considered 'classical' music.