Is the idea of audiophile listening a dying concept as boomers die off?

@hilde45

People under 50 that can afford the pricier items have demanding jobs and families. I would count myself in that group and have 0 time to go to Audiophile group outing. I am happy if I can listen 2-3 hours a week. The luxury of time + money usually does not exist until later in life. It doesn’t mean that there are not a lot of mid age people interested or participating in the hobby.

Let's put it this way: my kids (now 26) were exposed to high end audio from the time when they were born.  Interest in my setting them up with an audio system when they got their first apartment: zero.  Not enough room, and why would they want that if they can stream anything they want from phone or computer?  On the other hand, my stepdaughter, who's now 40, is still using my hand-me-down Maggie SMGa's and Rega Planar 3; for her, vinyl was (and is) trendy.

People under 50 that can afford the pricier items have demanding jobs and families. I would count myself in that group and have 0 time to go to Audiophile group outing. I am happy if I can listen 2-3 hours a week. The luxury of time + money usually does not exist until later in life. It doesn’t mean that there are not a lot of mid age people interested or participating in the hobby.

Interesting anecdotal evidence. Something to combine with the survey data. Thanks. 

I have a younger friend, around 45, prosperous and with refined musical tastes, whose children are now nearing independence and wants to spend an evening hearing his favorite recordings via a serious playback system. All signs suggest he grasps the deficiencies of the "smart speaker" world is ready to explore the magical world of serious two-channel listening.. Two years ago, I helped another younger friend in the same project. His wife and children constantly remark that they have never heard music sound so good. He doesn't even own a preamp; uses a mid-fi streamer/DAC straight into the amp, and recently asked for help in adding a vinyl rig. So, anecdotally, there are grounds for optimism about the future of our little "hobby" or niche obsession.