High End Audio-Gaining Higher Ground?


This is a spin off from a meeting held by audio designers where the primary discussion was about high-end audio and how to get the younger generation interested & involved in high-end audio. One of the speakers mentioned that his son was not the least bit interested in his rig and if something was to happen to him, his son stated it all would be put up for sale on Ebay.

I thought it would be interesting to put this discussion forth to this audio community and to get opinions on the above subject. Are audiophiles a dying breed and what could rekindle this hobby for all new generations.
phd
Lately I've been checking out the TV show 'Kitchen Nightmares'. Wouldn't it be great to have a show like this but with Audio shops instead of restaurants with hidden cameras and a Gordon Ramsey-ish audio guy coming to critique and go nose to nose with some of these shops!? Of course there will never be enough interest in a show like this so it'll never happen. I remember decades ago when one of the audio digests, TAS or S'phile, ran a series of articles (or was it letters?) encouraging people to write in about shitty customer service and bad manners in the shops. With most brick and mortar shops currently on life support, it surprises me when I read about boorish behavior in the shops. You'd think they'd know better by now.
it surprises me when I read about boorish behavior in the shops. You'd think they'd know better by now.

True. And they're probably trapped in their own little world, but I can't say for sure...
Keep in mind that this is primarily a North American problem. And it's due to a number of factors, most of which have already been addressed here. However, audio (and high end audio) is thriving elsewhere in the world, especially in the Far East!
My 18 year old son has no regard for my 2 "speaker based rigs" and even shrugs at my headphone system with Beyerdynamic T1 cans and Ray Samuels Raptor Headphone amp.
I mentioned Peter Green because he was in the original Fleetwood Mac band. Many people don't realize how great a guitar player Frank Zappa was, and while we're at it how about a shout out for Mike Bloomfield as well