Encouraging people to consider a traditional 2 channel stereo system.

larsman

... It's not AI's job to come up with a conclusion like ... Spotify lossless has been 'forthcoming' for years'.... 

But that's not a "conclusion." It's an absolute fact:

The tier was announced back in February 2021 (although teased as many as seven years ago!)

More people are consuming music now over any other time in history. 

That being said, quality is not as important. Most kids use cheap earbuds, or cheap BT speakers. Most young people use Spotify, they do not offer Hi-rez streams. Not sure it's important for Spotify's huge market share. If it was, they would offer it. What that tells me, most people want selection and ease over quality. 

My kid (14yo) loves music, has music playing all day long. Most of it is K-pop with some bands we share. My kid listens on their phone 80% of the time, cheap cd player 10% of the time, then my system (records) the rest. They are happy to just have the music playing, don't want a high end complicated system. Put my old setup in their room, it almost never gets used. 

Been into music all my life in one form or another. In my youth, volume level was most important. It wasn't until my late adult life, that sound quality became more important. 

My point is, music is important to young people, sound quality is not so much. 

@mswale 

You make a good point, in that today's 14-year-olds don't care much about sound quality, but neither did we at their age. And look at us now!

By the same token, your kid may very well be a dedicated audiophile some day. Just give them a couple of decades :)

@zx10

Music recording and concerts are always 2 channel

Really?  Tell that to the record companies who have produced thousands of multi-track classical recordings on SACD over the last 25 years.  Don't know where to find them?  Try Presto at Presto Music | Buy classical & opera CDs, DVDs & Blu-rays online

In Australia, every new home seems to have a home theatre room just waiting for a soundbar or better.  And those that can't get into the housing market seem glued to their phones, often through decent headphones.

My suggestion is, don't waste your time trying to bring someone into the fold. It's likely to be less than fruitful. There is nothing wrong with inviting people to listen to your system. Maybe that is enough to get them started on the path, but doubtful. I wouldn't even bother to give unused equipment to someone. Chances are they will take it if offered, but they probably won't appreciate it. If they are really interested then if you offer to sell it at "deal" type prices then they would likely buy it. 
 

It's not just audio. This would apply to almost anything. I used to work part time in a scuba dive store and would see couples and friends come in together to learn to dive. Very rarely were they equally enthusiastic about it. Not saying that they didn't want to do it, but you could almost always pick out who was driving the adventure and who was along for the ride. Sometimes they would stick it out past certification and make it to a year or two. Very rarely would it last, for both of them, longer than that. 
 

My wife has recently gotten into mountaineering and has tried to get me into it too. I have the good sense not to go down that road, for multiple reasons. I support her fully in her endeavors, but no thank you. I fully understand her desire to share her new found passion with someone, but it is not going to be me, and it doesn't seem to be any of her friends either. 
 

I too would love someone to share my love of music with, but I know for it to be real it needs to be organic. 
 

I too, like another poster, believe that this is a niche hobby. Lots of people play music, but very few will actually sit and listen to music without multitasking. Just listen to music. Music for most is something in the background; something extra, but not the primary focus. That's why most aren't willing to spend money on the hobby beyond what's needed for background music or what's needed to make it more convenient in some way. There is just no value in it for them. 
 

Sorry if all that sounds harsh, but that's what I believe.