Why do all audio forums on the internet seem "dead" ?

I think audio had it's golden generation in the 80's before the internet.  All my friends (in their late teens and twenties) had stereo systems and listened to them regularly.  There wasn't the distraction of the internet, cell phones or video games (not many anyways).  I used to subscribe to a few stereo magazines (Stereo Review, Hi-Fi Magazine, Audio Ideas Guide) and lusted over the more expensive gear.  I also used to regularly visit the stereo stores and listen to the better components.  As a teacher I do not see any of my students being interested in audio.  They are interested in music but seem satisfied with the squeeky thin sound of earbuds.  They don't  even seem curious to hear better reproduction.

Now that I am older I have bought some of the vintage gear that I lusted over when I was young and have refurbished them to perform at or better than new.  I also have all the lp's that I bought over the years along with cd's and I am now getting into digital files.  I am not looking at much that is new except for digital as I see advancements there.  Vintage gear such as early Jeff Rowland, Bedini, Ray Lumley, Beard and Acoustat with upgraded or newer parts sound wonderful and are more than competitive with new.  And at 1/5 the price.  I have spent on newer cables, though.

So I am not as actively seeking to upgrade my system as I have in the past as I think I am at a level now that I can truly enjoy the music.  The itch to upgrade has mostly gone ...

There does seem to be an increase in interest in lp's, hopefully it will become more than a fad.  This may save the hobby if some of them get infected with the audio bug.

I recently fired up my McIntosh gear that had been in storage for 10 years, and started the process of figuring out how to feed my digital content to it and enjoy the sound.  As a result I'm more active than ever, and feel re-invigorated regarding high end two channel audio as a hobby. Interestingly at 61 years old, I'm not chasing vinyl nostalgia, but high fidelity digital audio, and it's convenience.

And loving it!

Could it be Home Theater ..?

I notice in recent years many Stereo shows that come to NYC put more emphasis on 5.1 HT than two channel stereo...
A lot of guys on my job and those who have retired packed up their equipment or sold it to down size just for a HT receiver ...
Today i look in movie theaters and sometimes while the movie is playing there's only one person sitting in the place , figure that out... I remember when the movie theaters use to be packed but today BLU-RAY and DVD are killing the old neighborhood Cinemas ...
While good Stereo equipment is very expensive and guys are down sizing from houses to apartments in their retirement years .. Top notch Stereo equipment is out of reach for most of us and this is another reason why "millions of dollars" are going into the HT market .. Sit back and watch the amount of money Disney will make on Star Wars when the Blu Ray DVD hits the stores ...     

Some excellent insights in the above posts. If I had to summarize, I’d say that the primary cause is that the middle-class was gutted during the last (2008) economic crisis, and continue to struggle. So the amount of time and disposable income available to ’regular’ audiophiles has been dwindling for years. As a related aside, I am certain that this dynamic will become worse, as there is another major crisis unfolding as I write this.

Secondarily, there are plenty of people, like myself, who are actively engaged with forums while building or tweaking systems, but only occasional participants once those processes end. While I do enjoy both, I invariably reach a stage at which I see no purpose in further tweaking, and then spend years of satisfaction with a system.

As a fifty-something man with a broad appreciation for vintage (I have a serious vintage watch collection), I do enjoy owning some vintage components as well. I currently have an Accuphase E-303 integrated amp, and while it is obviously not as good as my first generation Jeff Rowland Concentra, it is a superb machine, and with good associated gear, produces really excellent sound.

Well, I think is all related to the generation gap. My Grand parents were born with no electricity, My parent had electricity. I was raise in a lighted house with a TV and Radio....we would hear music before we could see it (or who was playing it) It was EAR before eyes...I heard Hendrix before seeing him....I didn't know he was black, played the guitar with wrong position...but I heard and knew something was goin on....same thing with Miles, Coltrane, Doors, Ornette etc....the music catch my ears....I would drive to NY and more often to Montreal (I'm Canadian) in the 70's to go hear, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, even Led Zeppelin, Dexter Gordon, Opera , Orchestral etc....buying a stereo was an extention of hearing from live to try to get same experience in the living room. That needed decipline in buying the right stuff and by accident I became what we call an audiophile. I have only change system 3 time in 40 years.... Linn-Meridian. LS3/5A....Linn- MusicalFIdelity- Spendor....Linn- Naim, Neat with Naim CD....I still have my vintage Linn ( updated) which plays 98% of my music as I have mostly vinyl....keeping the gear in order like cleaning connector, washing records, ajusting the Linn once in a while, replacing worn phono cartridge....every step made a difference in sound and I have kept a reference from live venues I have attended...Heard Dexter at the Village Gate and that blew my mind....the sound was so ....well....real,,,,could never come close to that in my living room....but it's a good reference...Have you even heard Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Carter live in a trio setting in a small jazz venue?

Back to the generation gap.....today this generation sees before hearing....Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, altough all very talented...we know who is the boyfriend , where and how they dress, what they do, where they go, even worst with artist like Beiber and compagny....It all in the EYES and not the EARS....it is not based on music first....the interest first is the lifestyle seen thought the images of digital files with music as a filler....My generation it was the other way around....so yes there is less interest in audiophile....activities will lessen as we are a getting older...the newer generation don't have to go throught what we did to get to the music....it's all supported with the images first to stimulate all senses....amazing little disposable machines...