Where are the young audiophiles?


I find it alarming that 95% of all audiophiles are seniors.According to a consultant at my local HI-FI store,young people don't seem interested in high-end equipment.They listen to music on their phone.Sooner or later, all the great neighborhood HI-FI stores will not be able to remain open. Kind of sad,don't you think?
128x128rockysantoro
46, here, I know... I'm a young noob, but most retail audio establishments sucked anyway circa >2000. Glad they are being replaced by a lower priced direct sales models with more integration of features in one single box.  

I'm amazed by the LS50 Wireless II w/ a KC62 Subwoofer.  I bought it from Kef directly, why? I called Magnolia, and they were out of stock and as unhelpful as to be expected. 

I ordered some Legacy Whispers based on my wanting them after hearing them from a audio show a decade ago.  They now come with the Wavelet Preamp, DAC, Digital crossover, and DSP correction as well as integrated 500wx4 amplifiers to drive the 15" woofers.

"Goodbye to the dodo bird, there's a reason you're extinct" 

Sincerely,

A Former & Cyncical Audio Consultant 😁 
I am 72 and bought my first separates system in 1969.  It consisted of a Sansui amp, Sansui tuner, (matched 555s), Dual 1019 turntable and Sansui Sp-100 speakers.  I added an AKAI R2R.  The cost was about $800 for all of it.

I am not sure my current system pleases me any more as I went from a cheap all in one ( what I call a grind o magic ) to what was a decent system.

If I was 21 again, I suspect I would be streaming music via a Mac Mini and using a class D amp and XYZ speakers and be just as happy as I was then.   O I g up the ladder today require funds beyond most people in their early 20s.
I have 4 kids.  All of them love music ... multiple genres not just rap or pop.Only one (age 16) is an audiophile.  One is a musician (age 19) lots of her work is on Spotify.  Music to her is about creating it and listening for learning about lyrics etc so she can make more and better music.  She is happy with her JBL Bluetooth speaker and iPhone. The other two (21 and 23) find it incomprehensible that you would sit still and listen to music.  With them music follows them into the gym, in the car, parties etc.  I do find it interesting that many in Hollywood have serious audiophile systems ... most are at best middle aged.  Maybe the days of expensive high end electronics will come to a close soon.  The good news is that the world of music is alive and well
I’m pretty young (well relative to the prevailing crowd here, not to the pickup basketball games I try in vain to keep up with....sigh)) but for the older gents here, at the Hi-Fi height, let’s say 1970’s, what percentage of middle class households had what we would consider a hi-end system?

10%? 20%? More?

By hi-end system I guess I mean something you’d get from a Hi-Fi store, not just a Best Buy receiver