Where are the young audiophiles?

Being a 30 year retail A/V veteran, there has been a trend away from 2 ch audio for the most part across the board for at least 15 years, 99% of my customers purchase sound bars. Why? Smart tv's can be the source of all entertainment: only 2 wires are required: power and hdmi arc & the tv remote can control the system. If they want a little more advancement, they will move up to Sonos: Still a soundbar but now they have a wireless multi-room option. Only a few dedicated enthusiasts purchase 5.1 or greater systems & 2 ch music only systems are almost non existent. The average customer perceives 2 ch stereo as waste of resources that can be spent elsewhere. The average 2 ch music customer or owner is older from an age when hanging out and listening to tunes on an affordable system was a primary form of entertainment & there was a stereo only store on every city block. So that leaves the current 2 ch crowd in 60 & above age group with the means to afford this very expensive hobby.

sufmuz said:
"I think over forty is the age when you appreciate quality things more and better SQ is one of them....you just feel that time is running and you don’t want to miss something good... so youngsters will catch up later....now they have other priorities in their mind."
 
Being 66 and looking back, I think that there is a lot of truth in what he said. I’ve been a music and audio guy for over 45 years, but I value the experience even more now because I know that time is finite.

There happy with ear buds.

The market is evolving away from brick and mortar, with direct to consumer, active speakers, and lifestyle type components.

The latter two is a response to the younger generation being less interested in audio as a serious hobby, but a group nonetheless with some bucks and a desire for nice sounding units. The industry is smart to see the shift, as these sales can compensate for the lower demand powered by us passionate hobbyists.

When I was a kid I had my parents old Monkey Wards stereo system from the 70's. I liked how it sounded but at that time I couldn't afford a walkman (not sure they were out then) so listening to music was done at home. In the mid 80's I got a walkman and I rarely listened to my stereo in my room anymore.

Its easy to look down your noise at the younger generation but music is different now. You would be this way too if, in High School/College you had 100 mullion songs you could listen to anywhere on earth.