As a long-time audiophile, music lover, and teacher of a class in jazz appreciation, I despair of the musical taste of much of today's younger generation of listeners. At the risk of offending some of you, too many younger adults (read: under 35) have been raised on a steady diet of music that is often mediocre at best. To make matters worse, the quality of the reproduced sound is sometimes execrable, and the popularity of MP3 suggests it is not going to get any better. Top all of this off with the decline in liberal arts education -- specifically music -- in the schools, and you are left with what Steve Allen calls a "dumbed down" American society. When you get used to crap, it shouldn't surprise anyone that high end audio is shrinking as a hobby.
Why Don't More People Love Audio?
Can anyone explain why high end audio seems to be forever stuck as a cottage industry? Why do my rich friends who absolutely have to have the BEST of everything and wouldn't be caught dead without expensive clothes, watch, car, home, furniture etc. settle for cheap mass produced components stuck away in a closet somewhere? I can hardly afford to go out to dinner, but I wouldn't dream of spending any less on audio or music.