Why Don't More People Love Audio?

Already tons of good points made in this thread, obviously.

I have recently noticed the rather strange, yet somehow incredibly addicting, phenomenon of High End Audio being "displayed and demoed" on youtube. That is, both owners of stereo systems "playing" the system for the viewer, and then
tons and tons of video of systems playing music at high end audio shows.

Putting aside the issue of trying to ascertain a system's sound vie youtube...:-)...one thing that struck me in watching them reminded me of this thread:

When you see video of a bunch of audiophiles listening to high end systems, it does tend to invoke some of the negative cliche's. Mostly, it's a bunch of nerdy, middle aged white guys, leaning forward in their chairs, motionless, eyes closed or with furrowed brows, concentrating on the sound (or music). It looks, frankly, sort of stuffy and joyless, and not very social at all.

Now, I put on my system at home and love it. But, yeah, it's not easily amenable to a relaxed sociable setting, the type of which most people enjoy. I mean, if you are talking to someone over the sound, you are mostly missing the types of sonic features most of us are paying for in the first place.

I totally get why this is not a popular pass time, especially these days.

Oregonpapa,

That's fascinating about the homes without books and music.

Recently on another AVforum someone mentioned that they didn't really listen to music. I queried, perplexed by this, and he responded that he appreciated what music added to movies and games or whatever, but beyond that music just didn't interest him at all, he never listens to music.

Frankly, in all my life, I have never encountered such a creature. (Then again, I grew up in a very musical family, father being a music teacher, all of us playing instruments, everyone I know being into music).

Your post suggests this creepy, twilight-zone phenomenon is wider than I would have guessed.

My conclusion is that we have, fortunately, stumbled upon a way of telling the body-snatching pod people from real folk!

"I can...sit through movies, playes, concerts, etc. for hours." Well, a listening session is a concert in your home. Isn't that the whole point of exceptional sound?

I haven't read the whole thread but it is certainly interesting and varied. I write this from a perspective of having been once a devotee of high quality audio who set it to the side due to having two kids, a demanding profession and a wife who was not in the least going to give me the space to sit down and enjoy my system. Got rid of the wife. She gave me the kids, so more years in the wasteland without. 30 years.
Kids gone, something missing here. Oh yeah, why not.
Has NO IDEA all this existed at such a high level. Found out about BAT, VIP, Fidelity Research, Balanced cables, LOMC, Power Conditioners on and on. But I had to research, a lot of it here on Audiogon. Started looking and voila.
The take away here is that very few allow themselves the space to separate out and indulge. But I'm a music lover, live music has always been there for me. I really think if more people knew how close to the live music experience they could get with high end audio, more would be interested. Very poor marketing is a big part of it. And face it, it is an indulgence, ever how worthy it may be. People do little indulgences now and high end audio is not a small indulgence. It's just the times.