Future of this hobby?

All is not lost in my opinion. Current audiophiles will be fortunate to enjoy this hobby with the equipment that has been produced and that which is manufactured in the next 20 or 30 years before companies begin to fold in a worst case scenario. So even if things turn sour, we will still be able to enjoy for the rest of our lives the equipment produced up until that time. As such, we will all be able to enjoy the hobby that we have bought into. For those who never have the opportunity to climb aboard before the decline in offerings, I guess that is their loss whether they ever realize it or not. I plan on starting a family in the next few years and will raise my kids in an atmosphere that encourages quality audio so that someday they appreciate when dad passes on his equipment to them. Instead of discouraging their use of MP3 players, I will insist that they plug them into my set-up to hear the differences however degraded the source may be.

For those who see it fading away, then explain CES in Vegas.

Years ago it use to be only a quiet get together at one small hotel. Now, not only is Alexis Park overflowing with companies sharing rooms to fit it all in; but now next door at the St. Tropez a second hotel is also overflowing with companies and gear with "The Show", brought to us by the owner of this website.

Quite a few high end companies are at the Hilton as well. Martin Logan just to name one. At the main convention center you'll find Bryston, YBA, and most of the cable companies. You'll also find all the mid-fi gear makers like Cambridge Audio, Audio Refinement, etc at the main convention center.

It keeps getting bigger every year.

Young people don't drive BMW's Audi's, Mercedes, or Jaguars either. Does not mean they going out of business. It all comes down to disposable $$$$$$$$$

When the current young reach middle age, I doubt they'll still be hangin out at the mall listening to tunes on their IPODS.
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Older people can also afford stuff younger folks getting started or paying student loans can't.Reminds me of the debate on Clasical and Opera debates.Back in the 50's when Glen Gould said something within earshot or a repoter it neded up in Time magazine or when Bernsteins interpetation caused such furor it would spill over to the Times letters section for days or weeks.well thos days are over to be replaced when P-Didddy's entourgae/bodygurad shoots up a night club.Who know maybe all this crappy MP3 stuff and Ipods listening will kill Hifi but not entirely.Ther will always be somebody sekking a better mouse trap for one of our most primal needs.I am currently amazed by how many hi-end companies there are out there and maybe there are too many.I am further amazed when a company like McIntosh stays intact and doesen't become a Marantz.And cripes maybe it's not sucha bad thing.I want more vinyl but maybe SACD's hagve just about caught up.What I don't want is one more (or 5 more next week new companies that further confuse my Pea brain can handle because professionals are bought off and civilians on epinion.com or C.net put there money down and want to justify how much brain power they have.Over at Epinions and other consumer sites every poduct get's a 4.83 or 4.72 out of 5 and it drive me nuts which is a short trip indeed.
Chazzbo

I am afraid there has been a huge paradigm shift. The real question is the younger generation concerned about the quality of play back. The answer is no . Many of you have said this wasn't the case 20-30 years ago either. Nothing could be further from the truth. There were always cheap smaller even portable ways of getting music into life 30 years ago. BUT when I was in college your receiver and speakers and sources were a very important status items the helped define you as much as the car you drove. It was clearly very different. The quality counted. Now what I sense is happening in this hobby is that it is going through simply a momentary fad for the most materialistic consumers who have found this as a niche to enjoy music. I fear it will lose its appeal even to the small group that enjoys it now. As far as music in general goes despite the popularity of the ipod, both my kids have one, they don't seem to care as much as we did about music. Brick and mortar stores are all claiming that they won't be able to survive and some forms of music are becoming almost extinct classical for instance. Sure there are schools famous for it but the audiences are virtually all octegenarians. There are very few people my age, mid forties, that listen and new software a real rarity even on our coveted websites. What's happening now is the last fits of life kicking away but it is only a small group of us that make high end. We really do look like we have 2 heads to most people. I wonder exactly how many people actually visit this page regularly. It seems like the same people visit the forums usually a few hundred per thread even if that's a fraction of the total who look for the auctions or to buy and sell were talking a couple of thousand in a country of over 300 million (I know not everyone has web access). I think we are actually at a high point as I said before. I hope I wrong but I am the only audiophile in my workplace of several thousand that I know of.

I'm afraid Mechans makes much sense -- even though I hope the future obeys to Sugar's predictions...

There's a significant shift in the "reason why" behind hi-end buying decision. Before it was "better sound". Better sound doesn't seem to justify a purchase anymore...
After all, much of sound creation, storage, & reproduction, is digital. From digital unto digital: difficult to tell what is "bad" or "better"... I mean, now you can easily process a recording to sound "good" on an average set-up or target the I-pod's spectrum & tailor the recording for that...

Also, many people look at audio-visual -- rather than just "blind" audio...

Maybe, if hi-end becomes a "lifestyle" purchase there may be a resurgence.
Even better, sugarbrie is right & I'm being pessimistic.