Why Don't More People Love Audio?

Many Men do not want to go to bat with the wife .... Those speakers are so big why can't we have those little Bose speakers ?(don't get me started on that one!)But Seriously Audio like many things in human nature people enjoy simplicity. The Quartz watch almost Drove the Handmade Swiss watch makers into the ground (until the the art of automatic watches became a status symbol ) Any hobby or interest that requires an investment of time and money is too much for many people. I love Hi Fi Audio and have for over 30 years! When I was 12 I had practically memorized the Audio equiptment annual. I went to the CES show when I was 17 ... When I heard a demo of the JM Labs Utopias playing Who Are You I almost cried! Appreciating Fine hi Fi Gear is like admiring fine artwork You either "see" it or you don't. A great aside is that while the Carver & Pioneer Gear (nice stuff for the $) is sought after by the masses , the competition for the used gear at the upper end can sometimes be thin. plus Audiophiles are always looking for the next upgrade. The adventureous shopper can put together a truly amazing used class A system for $ 5,000 -$ 10,000 & up ! Enjoy the road to audio Nirvana it's a great ride!

people are too busy rating themselve on www chat-sites, to have time to listen to music, anymore... ;~)

A lot of good coments made here, one of my wealthy friends sold his good stereo(consisting of Martin Logan, Nordost and Audio Research) and bought some 'cheap' stuff(paradigm, sherwood and Radio shack cables). Image is everything to him and all of his friends(except me) like the current system better, go figure. They all think because he has money he knows what to buy(and what sounds better) and he went out in one day and bought everything, with very little if any research, but his system is better because it is his, right? Best wishes and I hope none of you ever fall in to this catagory.

Tireguy, great example to further prove the point : "just because ya got money, doesn't mean ya got taste"...

and besides, if EVERYBODY was into this, while it may cost less (demand and all that), I doubt the quality would be there. How much fun would this hobby be if EVERYONE was into it? It's like what most of the locals here tell people about where we live "you don't want to come over here, it's cloudy and foggy all the time"....why? well, we want to keep our little secret to ourselves where we can fully enjoy it....

I find this thread and the contributions so far fascinating. If someone where to call the audiophilic preoccupation with music and equipment IMPOVERISHING and NERVE-WRACKING, an average audiophile would probably resist. But I would like to insist that music lovers should be more cautious of high-end audio. The ability to enjoy the faithful reproduction (or is it, making present) of musical creations is anything but ann innocent pleasure, since it can gradually undermine and destroy the talent for being a fundamentally strong and profound musician and composer--that is to say, a musical person´s natural genius. As for myself, whenever I purchase another high-end component, I hear a voice inside myself cry out to me: "you don´t have to buy such an expensive, luxury product any longer; others can do that just as well!" What voice is this? This voice also tells me at times exactly how much or how little this new, intricate, advanced testament of the modern electronics industry is worth. Others can put these components just as well! And many could do it better! And those who could do it best--more talented, richer minds than myself--perhaps would not even be able to compose a worthwhile song for themselves given the amount of time and energy that they have invested in the reproduction of the music of others. Musicians and composers beware!