What's happened to the used high end market recently?? Sales are tough....:0(

The boomer generation is shrinking and aging, and with it the HEA market.  So, the question is, why isn't the millennial generation into HEA.  There are many reasons of course, but i believe a big factor is that the nature of popular music has dictated the decline of high end audio. If you look at the top 100 songs, very few feature actual instruments. The vast majority are created on computers. Kids are not listening to jazz or rock anymore as they did in the 70s and 80s.  High end audio is made to reproduce the sound of actual instruments. That's the magic. Hearing a real guitar or piano in your living room. If there are no real instruments on a recording there is no need for high end reproduction. There is no need for high end audio to reproduce a sound or beat created on a computer because there is no actual reference to reproduce. The reference is whatever you are listening to your computer with when you created the beat or sound. ... Just one man's opinion.

@terpstation,
I don’t happen to believe the millennial generation is not interested in the sound of actual instruments. I think that millennials have a great deal of choice in which to spend their hard earned money, if...BIG IF, HEA was more affordable to them..and more of them knew of the existence of HEA, then I think we would be seeing a resurgent and growing market. Instead, it would appear that the current generation of HEA manufacturer’s have thrown their lot in with those that believe it is imperative to make a quick buck and to max profits while they can. Not saying all of the HEA manufacturer’s are going down this route, but unfortunately for the hobby, this trend does seem to be expanding!

Given inflated high end prices, the collapse in secondary sales prices may reflect what this stuff is really worth

@fstein 

Maybe, except what you stated doesn't account for the 'collapse'.