Where are the young audiophiles?

This has been said for decades. In the 1970s, the adage was "Hi-End Audio is not developed yet. It will not survive".

In the 80s, it was "Hi-End is too trendy--like disco was".

Today, Hi-End is "social injustice and supremacist because it mandates a standard of excellence".

There will always be reasons to trample on it. And there will always be reasons to seek it out and procure it. In short, the market will always be there. It is simply a matter tapping into it.

mapman: "I think the high end should lower prices so more young people can partake."

One phrase: Market Economics.

Hi-End ANYTHING would not exist without the Free Market Enterprise Profit Motive. No one does anything because they have compassion and love for others. No one.

Human nature is SELF-CENTRIC. This is why we need a government comprised of checks and balances to keep Totalitarians in check. And it is also why we need COMPETITION to keep Economic Totalitarians in place (i.e., Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Big Pharma, Big Oil, etc ...).

Eliminate the SELF-GAIN, eliminate the market. You can not have both.

And quite frankly, it takes untold millions to run a company like Pass Labs or D'Agostino or any of the others. They are not just covering their immediate costs. They are also coving past investment, future R&D, and yes--PROFIT. THEY get to eat and pay for their kids' college tuitions, just like you do.

We have scores and scores of options in audio below the $1,000 mark. Call THAT "The Poor Man's Hi-End", if you will. And quite frankly the Yamahas and Denons, et al ... that appear in these price ranges offer sound and features that we could only dream of, in SOME cases at least, a few decades ago. In short, our "low-fi" market in some ways rivals what was "hi-fi" decades ago.

Kinda relative.

Remember when air conditioning was exclusive to Cadillacs? I do. Now you can not buy a car--even those tin-can toasters on wheels--without A/C. (Wish car companies would figure that out about cup holders, too).

We have what we call "hi-end" because of PROFIT MOTIVE. We have advanced medicines, technology, surgical procedures for one reason alone: PROFIT MOTIVE.

It may not sound warm and fuzzy, but that's the reality. You would never get out of bed each day and schlep off the work if you did not receive your piece of cheese--a paycheck. Why expect anything else from everyone else?

@kren0006.  “... 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?...”

Excellent  question. In the 1970’s. Much less than  1%

This has never been a popular pursuit. You would also need to take into account the population increase of at least 50% so as a percentage the people doing this may not have decreased as much as it would have. 

I think some of it boils down to time and interest.  There too many other diversions.  It does take some nurturing to appreciate music on a deeper level than on a phone and earbuds.  If I was starting out I would stream (CD quality or above) with high quality headphones.   

@athrillofhope

You are very correct. No question.. but take a deep breath... relax... enjoy the moment. Put on some Kitaro.