Why Don't More People Love Audio?

Well then, it's settled - the reason why more people don't love audio is simply due to their not having found their flavor.

It couldn't have anything to do with their immunity to this particular obsession or their inability to spend this sort of money (or any at all) on audio toys. It isn't because they spend all of their disposable income on hunting, fishing, skiing, flying, sailing, racing, stamp collecting, college, bicycles, dog shows, rodeos, computer gaming, travel, each other or their church. It isn't because they are fighting foreclosure or have already fallen under that axe. And above all, with god as my witness, under no circumstances could it conceivably be because everything sounds the same to them and they could care less.

Oh, one more thing, 20,000,000 Americans are hard of hearing. That figure includes stone deaf, deaf in one ear, and needing a hearing aid to converse. Even if some of these people can hear music, they cannot appreciate qualitative differences in playback.

If you enjoy high end audio, lay back and bask in it. If you are concerned that other people don't value it as much as you do, then it would seem that you are seeking reinforcement and should re-evaluate your own commitment.

Music is nice but so are many other things. My wife likes to grow things in her garden and knit sweaters. She has a phenomenal sound system at her disposal and doesn't seem to mind that fact, but it can't replace those other things she values and enjoys. I think she is more "normal" than we are.

Macro,

Its true that some people (not many) don't even like ice cream.

Some are even allergic.

Many more are just prone to seeking enjoyment elsewhere.

Cheers, Merry Xmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and whatever other flavors of celebration I may have overlooked to all!

For most people music is what matters, not electronics. Playing with expensive electronics just to listen to music is unecessary to the majority of people, hence the lack of interest in it.

there are many things competing for our attention and interest. we are bombarded every day by all kinds of stimuli.

the priority of listening to music characterized by "sonic excellence" , probably is not cogent for most people, who prefer to listen to music in the background mode.

mpst people have no interest in listening to music as an exclusive activity.

the computer and the tv set are more compelling .

I don't know that it's so much a case of not many people liking high quality audio as how many people actually like music to any degree. I am now 50+ and since leaving my teens have met very few people who really like music as we know it. You can forget the charts and the people who used to populate them, most of them (in my experience) only bought the odd single - the charts were simply made up by millions of occasional purchases. You could go to any of my friends houses, once they had reached adulthood and all it's inherent trappings and other distractions and the best you'd ever find there would be one of those little stacking systems. Their collection would perhaps be up to 30 CDs, often "Best ofs" and hits albums.

I would posit then that it's real music enthusiasts that are in the minority - the audio factor is then a small proportion of that minuscule figure.

When I grew up getting a "stereo" was part and parcel of the journey and considered the norm. Now kids have far too many distractions - gaming being the most obvious and prevalent. Having music is now considered a small element of life, taking its place alongside games, mobile technology PCs etc etc. For most people who know no other ethos, the quality of music is immaterial - it seems enough to have music wherever and whenever. Now I like music in the car but have no desire to have it elsewhere. My listening at home is split between via the PC, when I am working, or "proper" listening on the main system. The latter is the most important to me, as is it's high quality but that's not to say that other listening is devalued. I just need my hi-def fix.