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

The difference is that affordable and even non-music-dedicated gear offers much closer to quality audio reproduction than it did in past generations.

Phones and bluetooth speakers sound pretty good! 

So the younger generation doesn’t have to do the same things we did in order to get to pleasing sound, and that means there isn’t as much incentive to jump to music dedicated gear.

Doesn’t mean people don’t enjoy good music or good sound. It’s just easier now than putting together these huge boxes like we had to do, and still do. Not saying the boxes aren’t another jump in quality!

Audiophiles skew older because older people have money. Ever been to a golf club and seen a ton of 25 year olds? Me neither. That is because 25 year olds don't have the money to join golf clubs. 

I think the high end audio industry is unknown to the general public.  I spent over 22 years in the service and came across a huge number of people and yet met zero audiophiles.  Come to think of it, even after I retired I’ve come across zero audiophiles.  The only exception has been when I either sold or bought gear locally, in person.  
 

I think high end audio has always been, and will continue to be, a very niche industry.  


 

It’s one thing if one is alone and laziness wins out and they go, “aw, hell, I want to hear this song right now, screw it” and then plays it through their cell phone speaker. Treating a cell phone speaker this way in public, to my mind and ears, borders on sociopathy.
The evidence is in and it ain’t good; young people the last decade or so have been subject to this as normal and have been led to believe that this is a way to “listen to music.”  
These are the parameters; cell-phone (acceptable, not ideal) —> tiny Bluetooth speaker (end-game).  
How could younger people possibly afford the high-end stuff these days?  
I told a younger fella I used to chat up at a record store I used to frequent about my rig.  
He seemed almost disgusted at the retail value of my rig, like he questioned my sanity and judgment. I don’t blame him.
Space is also an issue with such horrible housing circumstances these days.  
If space were permitted, they could eschew both dreadful audio AND high-end and do what pretty much every young person did 20-50 years ago which was have some decent floor-standers, decent power/pre (likely receiver or integrated), decent front end, all from thrift shops at very affordable prices.  
Space and/or a lack of knowledge that such a setup is even a thing prohibits people from persuing that low-mid range, let alone high.

@ghasley lol