Why Don't More People Love Audio?

Best peaches in the world grow right here in Palisade, Co. There's a local pride in this, of course, but this does not make it impossible to sell canned peaches in metal vessels and sugary syrup in out supermarkets. Some people actually prefer their peaches that way. I'm reminded of Americans who travel to Paris and choose to eat at McDonalds. Why in hell would they not want to experience the exquisite cuisine for which the French are world famous and which they cannot duplicate back home. I'll never understand. There's no accounting for taste.
That said, it is likewise important for audiophiles to realize that what they have found in their hobby is tantamount to religion and, as such, is personal. Not everybody finds salvation in the same book. I live in Colorado and don't ski. To many that is like ignoring French cuisine when in Paris. Whatever! I love it here but I'm not much given to physical sports or downhill thrills. I know people who maintain as a personal goal hitting the slopes 50 times a season. Different strokes.
Audiophiles need to loosen their grip on the absolute sound for a few minutes now and then and smell a few flowers. We have 5 senses at our disposal. Let's use them all and not worry about which sense others favor.

Because they wont spend the cash for a really good system.

As probably has been said on here already, everyone enjoys some type of music, but not everyone "hears" it the same way. Basically, IMO, it comes down to an emotional connection to parts of a song that each listener relates to differently on an emotional level. Could be a certain instrument, a certain note, certain lyrics, combination of each, etc...?

My wife and myself are completely different. She would be just as happy (and has told me this) listening to a clock radio alarm clock! In fact, here's an example, the other day she told me that she DOES notice a difference of sound between my (I mean OUR...excuse me) $6,000 audio system, and my son's $20 clock/CD radio, but didn't say it was better, just different. I just shook my head. She told me that I "hear" different things in the music, that my ears must be better? I said, I don't think that's it at all, I think it's an appreciation for music on a deeper lever -- I don't recommend this comment, BTW!

I have noticed over the years that she tends to relate to the lyrics more than the instruments, where I am the exact opposite.

Anyways...everyone's different!

one can enjoy music without being an audiophile or having an interest in equipment.

a larger percentage of the population enjoy music than the the pursuit of "audio" as a hobby.

the question is why?

probably something obvious like other priorities and interests are more compelling.

the idiosyncracies of invidual preferences are sometimes beyond explanation .

I have a slightly different take on this whole subject -- and I'd be interested in your thoughts. I do agree w/ Tennis and others that

a larger percentage of the population enjoy music than the the pursuit of "audio" as a hobby.

However, I'm stuck on what exactly Tennis (and others) mean by "audio" in this instance. For me at least, it all started (way back in the mid-fifties -- my Dad's hobby of course ;--) and what excited me then, as now, was -- not the music itself (don't get me wrong, I love music, and have my personal interests) -- but the sonic thrill of performance; or an acceptable (to me) facsimile of a real performance ;--)

That's what attracted me most about "audio" in the beginning, and it still does today. I call it "sonic stimulation". There are probably thousands of powerful stimuli to which we humans are drawn, and creating an illusion using sound (as opposed to "listening to music") is just one of them. I think that explains why so many people can thoroughly enjoy music without needing the stimulation of a "re-created realism" which a good audio system can provide.

I've been assembling gear/systems since my late teens around 1958. And like most of us, changed and changed and changed everything! Over and over! But eventually, got to the point (about twenty years ago) where I achieved the kind of realistic reproduced performance that I found convincing enough to "sonically stimulate" me ;--)) every time I used my system -- and very little ot the hardware has changed since then.
.