Average age of audiophiles

Early 40s. Been at it -- s/ware & hardware -- since I was 12.

I'm 47 and have been trying to be an audiophile since age 20. However, raising two kids and paying mortgages, etc. has prevented me from being the text book "audiophile".

I would imagine most of the audiophiles emerged from the "golden age of stereo" from the 1950's, 60, and 70s (or something along those lines). I'm guessing here: But I'm assuming _those_ age groups grew up hot-rodding muscle cars and building 2channel stereos (or, again, something along those lines). Now it seems the recent generations are busy spending their time and money with computers (big money pit), mp3s, and playing video games. I know that's how *I* spent my teenage years (except we didn't have mp3s).

It's only in my 20s, have I begun to get into cars, motorcycles, and hi-end stereos. I'm kind of a rarity among my friends. I'm the only one NOT into the latest cellphone gadget, or HT-in-a-box rig.

Before I got my "rig," I used to either listen on my "boombox" or the big "rigs" at school. Middle School, High School, and College all had decent rigs available within the Music Department. And being a musician, in my spare time I would listen to live performances of band and orchestral music. Often my own recordings or recordings of pieces I was studying or wanted to study. Although I preferred to listen on the "big rigs," I got just as much musical satisfaction out of my boombox. Most musicians are like that, from my experience.

I will respond with a question--normal human years, or audiophile years? Sort of like dog years, but the opposite, such as when your significant other asks you "why are you selling that piece of equipment, you just bought it six months ago" (which is true) and you respond "no, I've had it for at least three years". By that measure, I'm 306 years old.

I'm apparently one of the resident "geezers" at age 59. I became seriously interested in the audio hobby in 1962. I'm not sure that this thread will really provide an accurate picture of the average age of audiophiles, since many of the old-timers in the hobby may not spend much time on the Internet. Many of the guys I know who are older than me really don't use the Internet, and thus won't get captured in this survey.