A year ago, I started a new (and probably final) career as a realtor, and during the past 12 months I have been through a LOT of homes. My observations pretty much parallel yours -- the homes of "average" folks usually have "sound systems" ranging from boom boxes to cheap HT systems that cost less than $1000 (many less than $500). I have yet to see a true audiophile setup in moderately priced homes.
On the other hand, the high-end homes typically have a HT setup -- often in more than 1 room -- but very few of them are built around high-end audio systems. Sad to say, but fewer and fewer people seem to care about high-fidelity sound reproduction for MUSIC -- but they will spend a lot of money to listen to movie soundtracks. As a hobby, it looks more and more like high-end audio is a dying industry except for people with high-end incomes.
Is it possible that there is a correlation between the musical "education" of the younger generation and their tendency to buy mediocre quality sound systems?
On the other hand, the high-end homes typically have a HT setup -- often in more than 1 room -- but very few of them are built around high-end audio systems. Sad to say, but fewer and fewer people seem to care about high-fidelity sound reproduction for MUSIC -- but they will spend a lot of money to listen to movie soundtracks. As a hobby, it looks more and more like high-end audio is a dying industry except for people with high-end incomes.
Is it possible that there is a correlation between the musical "education" of the younger generation and their tendency to buy mediocre quality sound systems?