When Was The Audio Golden Age?

I was graduating University of Michigan in 1980 when a friend got a job as a salesman in a high end audio store.  I remember a wall stretching to the ceiling filled with McIntosh components.  He let me bring a few records in and listen for a few hours after closing time.  From then on I was seduced by the high end but it was a quarter century before I had disposable income to spend on anything but mid Fi (Graduate School and Family obligations disposed of anything previously).

  How that stuff would compare to my current gear is anyone’s guess.  My rose colored glasses aren’t known for improving my visual acuity.  But that night was an awesome memory 

Does the "Golden Age" question refer to recording or to advances in equipment?

If recording, then the 50s and 60s. If equipment, then circa 1972 - 1995. This was a period where we still had brick and mortar establishments and people got to hear equipment easily. Also, the tube made a comeback (thank you, William Z. Johnson), and triggered a rush towards achieving the "absolute sound."

That is no longer the case. When people discuss music, they refer more to the "features" of a component, very rarely actually addressing the music itself (which IS the purpose, no?). This, by itself, is less "involving" than what the High End scene was like even 30 years ago.

And "The Future" does not - to me - automatically indicate that we will make advances in reproducing music (and I mean, unfiltered, unprocessed and un-manipulated, which removes nearly the entire pop music kingdom of recordings as far as sound quality goes). People discuss soundstaging and imaging instead of talking about the music itself. And you have critics online who had no idea what acoustic music sounds like, which is ironic: the whole High End came into existence because of a desire to make music sound more as it did in the symphony/opera hall or jazz club. Given that classical and jazz music are the least known to younger audiences, hearing a trumpet the way it was actually played seems less an imperative than whether or not it has ’x-inputs" or the newest datachip. Passion and curiosity to create magic thru either tubes or transistors drove the first wave of "The Golden Age"; I’m uncertain what direction we are headed in right now. But with AutoTune, mediocre singers (clearly, a stunning voice is not a requirement for fame in the music arena nowadays) and with the amount of manipulation that is visited upon so many recordings, this is most certainly NOT the "Golden Age of Recordings."

There was a time when people were more attuned to music, and that changed around the very, very early 21st century. The move seems - in this era -  towards tech-in-audio, and away from (unaltered/acoustic) music as heard with minimal electronic intrusion.

In terms of when hifi was at its pinnacle and garnering much attention from the general public, that would have been in the latter 1950’s when hifi 33 1/3 Lps were brand new and companies aggressively marketed good sound to the masses.

Once that fad passed, things continued to move forward but fewer people payed attention to sound quality, either not caring or taking it for granted.

Which brings us to today which is the true golden age for those who care. Best sound ever available to more than ever who might care and access to any music desired on a whim via streaming. No doubt today is the golden age. The world of good sound and music as at the fingertips of more people than ever, for those who care or even think about such things anymore

The last 2 posts have been especially thoughtful.  They both emphasize the paradox that while the the access to music, and the sheer skill in playing it back, has never been higher; yet the general interest in sound quality amongst the general public has never been lower.

  The bricks and mortar stores had their flaws-most seasoned audiophiles probably had at least one bad experience in their lifetime- but just the fact that they even existed seems from today’s vantage like a miracle.  Imagine enough people in the world caring enough about sound to want to visit multiple locations, or to spend time in a given store, and to support an entire industry.

  My genre preference will show here, but as one of the posters noted, pop music played a big role in dumbing down standards.  It’s very ubiquity as background music creates a numbness to nuance. It’s processed, canned nature makes the relationship of instruments and voices to each other almost irr.  Yes, Classical and Jazz are much more demanding on sonic reproduction, and their listeners more discerning.  
  So music is a commodity, and like all commodities the emphasis is on fast and cheap.  We have the ability to listen to perfection and most people prefer sonic dreck.

I think the 'Golden Age' was when The Absolute Sound Magazine entered the scene. There were so many discoveries being made, people finding out that there really was something beyond their table radio. Interesting personalities bringing new ideas and products to market. 

Today is a fantastic time to be into high end audio, but a few decades back there was an 'organic quality' and 'esoteric dimension' that causes some of us to wax nostalgic.