Why Don't More People Love Audio?

There are alot of great points on this subject. I just spent 30 minutes reading them. Now let me give you my opinion. I grew up with a father that was a musician and I was exposed to all kinds of music as a child. I had my first audio system when I was 15 years old. When I was 18 my father took me to a store that carried high-end audio. From the moment I heard that gear I was hooked. That was 32 years ago and I'm still just as hooked as when I was 18 years old. I think the reason people don't love audio is because they have never been exposed to it. If my father had not exposed me to it 32 years ago I would not be on Audiogon today. I'm not saying everyone that get's exposed to it will get hooked. But there will always be a small percentage that will be and they could possibly keep this hobby going.

I think a lot of it has to do with the degradation of our society. I've been pondering the differences in my own family lately. What I've come up with is, that it is a fact that every preceding generation becomes increasingly unaware or has no clue as to what good sound means to humanity. It "is" in fact a most basic part of who we are. In no other medium, can we expect to get so much pleasure or enjoyment.

it's a matter of priorities.

there are so many things competing for our attention that audio assumes less importance than it did years ago.

Too complicated.

Over-complicate things in order to justify a higher price.

Good question. Maybe, they think high-end systems are too complicated to put together for an occasional listening experience. As I commented in a my own thread similar to this one, I often hear from guests that why do I play it (so) loud. I listen to lot of classic rock, but am not a headbanger. My explanation is/was: to properly pressurize the room to give the sound the appropriate dynamics intended by the musicians and sound engineer. I can state from experience that Scott Joplin's Piano Rags sound better loud than at medium or low level. Also, louder music conveys more emotion and has more evocative power. Well....by that time, I have lost my guests in what they surmise as some kind of elists hobby. Yet, many will not disarage their department store system, or surround sound set-up. Therefore, to avoid the discomfort and embarrassment, I listen alone-- no guests anymore. Possibly sad, but it satisfies me. Today, I listened straight threw Bell and Sebastian's "Dear Catastrophe Waitress". I enjoyed the session, though I was listening to evaluate new room placement of my speakers. At the same time, I was never distracted from the musical brilliance of these young musicians. I did not want or have to explain what I believe makes them musical innovators of the pop tune. And this is another reason why many people do not love audio. They either want to groove to the beat---no problem, or "just like the music" or its presentation, but that is the extent of many people's musical "experience". The evolution of lets say "pop music" is not a consideration for most listeners. The Bell and Sebastian disc, I mentioned, evokes pieces and genres of pop music which I can't put my finger on exactly; there is a bit of early Fleetwood Mack, the Birds, Donovan, Hollies, Beatles in several of their albums, and even a few reworked bars from the Grateful Dead's "Sugar Magnolia" and "Jack Straw from Wichita" Their abilty to synthesize various musical styles and lines is miraculous. Lastly, I think the way audiophiles venerate good sound as the product of good design that is, "science in the service of art", is a highly personal and intellectual pursuit that turns many people off as elist. I know that is a gross misjudgement on their part.