Where are the young audiophiles?

Interesting topic, I am 50 and just spent the weekend over at a buddies house listening to his vinyl setup with 2 reviewers and well respected audio designer/builder.  I enjoyed the gear and the people but the music was some of the worst I have heard.  Just think if you are a young person interested in the hobby and all you hear at audio shows and read in online reviews is how something sounds with old classical, old jazz, new jazz, new classical, old jazz, new jazz, old classical, blah blah blah it’s no wonder younger people aren’t into it.  I love the hobby and I am open to some of the older jazz and blues music but my listening this weekend was typical of audiophiles and what they tend to gravitate to. I almost feel not only do reviewers lead a lot of audiophiles down the wrong path on gear selection but also on what a lot of us are listening to as well by what they are referencing to what they used in the review...the recommended LPs in the magazines is the perfect example.  My point is we need some younger reviewers, reviewing gear that’s more obtainable and most importantly talking about how the gear performs with music they are more familiar with.

"It will never be a big slice, and it never was."

This sums it up nicely.

There's a whole new wave of us coming to the hobby. I'm 52 and just got around to my first 50k system. Don't worry young people get older and acquire the means to join the hobby.

I’m in my 40’s, definitely not a “senior”. There are many of us my age or younger in this hobby. They just aren’t’t vocal about their age and maybe not spending a lions share of time on the forums here. There will always be an appeal. Look at how fine timepieces came back and digital calculator watches thankfully died (Apple watch and it’s ilk are lame, I’m already carrying a damn iPhone people!). Quality in anything that doesn’t age out is always appreciated at some point. Believe me when I say you want digital streaming to keep this hobby of ours alive. If all we had was cds it would go the way of shortwave radio with younger generations. Furthermore, this is directed to some of the commentators here that think critical listening is only the realm of Gandalf with a cane and bad hearing that saw The Beatles in an armory (😬). It’s not. I work in a very technical Data Centre role in IT and love this hobby and always will. I’m obsessed with high quality music, engineering and the experience of a sublime listening experience in my living room. Some people just don’t realize it yet until they have a life changing experience shared with them by someone older.

I think there's a market to be had, but it's not going to be what their parents and grandparents bought. They don't want stacks of large components and large tower speakers that occupy lots of room and consume lots of power. Younger folks prefer compact, versatile and stylish components. I think the PS Audio Sprout was an excellent example of this. 

I have a halfway decent amount of gear, but if I had to live in a small space, I could be pretty happy with Vista Audio Spark amp powering a pair of Omega Super 3i speakers and a small sub.