High End Audio-Gaining Higher Ground?

The industry destroyed itself. Its their own fault. Look what they did with video. The major formats went from VHS to DVD, and now to Blu Ray. Why did people buy DVD's? Because the picture quality is better than VHS. Now everyone's buying Blu Ray's because the picture quality is better than DVD. The video industry sells new technology based on better quality. Same thing with video games. Playstation 1, 2, 3 and 4. With each new generation, the quality is better. Not so with audio. The industry is focused on selling features, not quality. The audio industry makes such stupid decisions, it looks like they're trying to put themselves out of business on purpose.

One of the speakers mentioned that his son was not the least bit interested in his rig and if something was to happen to him, his son stated it all would be put up for sale on Ebay.

As a father of 3 sons ages 30, 27 and 23, I can fully relate with that line. My boys always thought my "obsession" was a frivolous waste of time and money. I'm sure that all of my gear would be sold within a month should I become incapable. Times have changed, values have changed.

As with any other complex issue, there is no one clear cut reason like poor recordings, as Response34 suggests. Surely poor music quality is one of the issues facing the younger generation, but so are shorter attention spans and lack of income. The world is much different now than it was 35 years ago. Things move much faster, and money is tighter. I was in much better financial shape when I was my children's ages than they are today. The middle class has eroded greatly over the last 30+ years. Today, my sons have their plate full just trying to get by, none of them own a home, and all are college educated and working in their fields.
Looking at how the prices of high end audio have skyrocketed in the last 10 years, this is no surprise, as the top 1% gain more and more at the expense of the rest.

Multitasking and time constraints is another big reason. Today's younger generation is not as likely to sit and listen as we did years ago. There are so many other entertainment options available today versus 30+ years ago. Not only do my sons have zero interest in expensive audio toys, but none of their friends have any interest either. They do listen to music, but they find no difference between expensive gear and an iPod for the music they listen to. Plus, they tend to multitask while they are listening too, playing video games and/or social networking while listening through their ear-pods.

Every generation is different, there is no right or wrong way to live. Maybe NOT spending $100K on a system is a GOOD thing for many of today's youths. Hell, had I foreseen the prices of systems today 40 years ago, I probably would have chosen another hobby for myself, LOL!!

There will always be a market for good music and good sound.

What constitutes "good" though will always vary widely and be mostly a matter of personal opinion. There is little concrete to support the case that high end audio is "better", but there is no doubt some will have very high standards compared to others yet each will still slay the beast their own way, usually on a limited budget.

So things like cost, efficiency, scale, features ALL matter. Just differently to different folks. The stereotype audiophile is truly a dinosaur, set in the ways of the past while the world changes around them. No kid wants that. Maybe when they get older, and listening habits change, some might come around a bit.

My daughter plays violin in school orchestra and has a fantastic ear for music. My son loves things unique and of good quality. Both listen to music often. NEither could give a rat's arse about my toys, as best as I can tell. Nobody but me even has any clue how to work it all.

No. High End Audio is not gaining Ground. High End Audio was never better. just different. Folks just tried to chase the sound of yesterday with aging hearing problem. I'm one of them.
Young adult have better ear for all sound of music, they are enjoying the music of today going forward.
There is no different between audio and video technology. They all get better yearly.