Is high-end audio dying, if not dead already???

Perhaps in this debate there is an assumption that there are absolute improvements every year, and this is challengeable.... In just about every aspect of hi-end audio there have been landmark products (going back to the 1960s) which are still held to be definitive. If this is so then the debate should be differently defined: the Hi-End Industry, if it is a 'good' business, should innovate and this year's products must somehow be better than yesterday's products.
My thinking is that we have been producing superb components for a very long time. Improvements, if they do indeed exist, are sometimes microscopically small and insignificant. If this is so then the industry might not be on the best shape?
After all, there have been a lot of great minds devoted to our getting the best possible sound digitally or via analog - and for a long time. There will always be passionate individuals in this business who have something to offer - thank God! - but I suspect it is more difficult than ever to re-define what is achievable. And so, I think the OP might have a point...

I'm too lazy to read all the posts just coming back from a wine tasting but as of now I feel that high end is not so much over as the "emperors clothes" no longer hide the fact that "high end' audio is alive and well and had been living all along with the mid priced gear.

All it took was to suss out the right gear and carefully pair it with all the ancillary stuff and Bob's your uncle. Just as there are cult leaders in politics that people tend to follow, waiting for instructions on what to say and believe, audio has it's fair share of wannabes that strive to make their mark on an unsuspecting public.

It amazes me just how much correcting it took to pen this. :-)

All the best,
Nonoise

I liken high end audio to fine swiss watches. The technology has existed across many decades. The updates are mainly in style and materials with some breakthroughs in design here and there. The focus in high end audio is on workmanship and style, not economies of scale or reducing the cost in the next generation product. Just the opposite, in fact. Luxury items, unlike TVs and refrigerators, seem to rise in cost with or slightly above the rate of inflation. Those of us that have tracked this hifi hobby over decades may lament the sticker shocking prices of today's gear; but was it really any different in the 50s through the 2000s? The hobby will live on with the dedicated few who also have the means, and perhaps go back to more of a DIY kit business to help manage costs. I used to do my own mods and upgrades years ago, and some mods that were above my skill level I had done. Thats what real hifi used to be.

It would appear that the average age of the audiophile is rising by the year. The inevitable stopping point of the aging process will coincide rather identically with the stopping point of that individual's consumption of new audio products. It will, in fact, have double-edged effect of further damaging the market place with the addition of more used gear to the inventory. Supply and demand dynamics will cause opportunities for those who are entering the market place to purchase wonderful used gear at a fraction of the prices being demanded by boutique charlatans and genuine innovators alike. This should cause an extreme cleansing of the manufacturing ranks.

On another front, there appears to be a burgeoning DIY community being fed by a sensible modular component manufacturing contingent. The Hypex success will not go unnoticed and the charlatan fringe will be outed by the audio hobbyists who know their stuff.

And, I believe, we need to consider the possibility of a greater world wide economic collapse than the one we are just beginning to emerge from. The banksters will give us some amount of time to recharge our financial batteries but we can be sure that there will be another taking, since nothing in the forecast is present to prevent as much. Batten down the hatches. Audio will be your least concern if that happens.

"11-16-14: Tonywinsc
I liken high end audio to fine swiss watches. The technology has existed across many decades. The updates are mainly in style and materials with some breakthroughs in design here and there. The focus in high end audio is on workmanship and style, not economies of scale or reducing the cost in the next generation product."

That's really not true. The only thing subjective about a watch is how it looks. Its function, or purpose, is to tell time. In that respect, all watches are the same regardless of cost. Not so with audio. With audio, the product is subjective in use. 5 people can have different watches, at different price points, but they'll all give you the same time. Listen to 5 different CD players, and you'll get 5 results that are not the same. Also, with regards to the last sentence, I'm not sure how you came up with that. Can you give me an example?

"11-16-14: Macrojack
It would appear that the average age of the audiophile is rising by the year. The inevitable stopping point of the aging process will coincide rather identically with the stopping point of that individual's consumption of new audio products. It will, in fact, have double-edged effect of further damaging the market place with the addition of more used gear to the inventory. Supply and demand dynamics will cause opportunities for those who are entering the market place to purchase wonderful used gear at a fraction of the prices being demanded by boutique charlatans and genuine innovators alike. This should cause an extreme cleansing of the manufacturing ranks."

I understand why you would think that, but the opposite is true. Audiophiles are always upgrading. If they can't get rid of their old gear, they won't be able to buy new. A good supply of used gear is a very good thing. Take Audiogon for example. This web site allows someone to buy a component that they may not be able to afford if they had to get new. After the sale, the seller will usually upgrade. Also, and more importantly, a website like this increases the number of audiophiles that exist overall. Audioqon is a source for gear that many people all around would not otherwise have access to. For proof, just look at all the threads started here, where the poster asks for advice because they can't buy equipment any other way. I remember when I sold my Rotel 1072 here. Rotel is extremely difficult about not shipping to customers.They would rather loose a sale than ship something to someone that doesn't have a local dealer. I got close to full list price for it from someone who didn't have a dealer anywhere near them.