Why Don't More People Love Audio?

Elizabeth, good point. I wonder now whether the MP-3 player is a good thing -- at least it gets people back to music.

Perhaps we have now discovered the secret to being rich...develope a tin ear!

It takes some type of mentoring for the uninitiated on the benefits of spending a little more to get something unimaginable, and the cottage industry continues to fill that growing void left by the larger high end companies.

Service to the customer is the key but without the newbie hearing a top-flight system playing their familiar tunes, is it any wonder most people find this hobby a turn off?

Another phenomenon I take note of is what happens when someone new to all this listens to great sound. It puts them to sleep. It must be mentally fatiguing to process all the additional information one hears. Interesting. So, there is some mentoring needed on why one feels that way. It takes time to get beyond that and just allow the music to take over. That requires a real commitment.
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As several have mentioned, the number one reason that people treat their audio systems like appliances is lack of exposure to a great system. No music lover goes away from hearing a great system unchanged. Most want to have some modicum of that for themselves once they are aware of its existence. The next problem is finding the stuff to buy. Great dealers are few and far between, and without their help the learning curve is very steep for the uninitiated.