I am in my mid 40's I have been into this since I was a kid and saw my neighbors dad's system. About ten years ago I was able to put together my dream system. And continue to upgrade as I can. When friends come over they don't get it. "That's worth how much?" They agree it sounds great, but they tell me how good their Snonos sounds. I do agree it seems like a dying hobby. My teen age kids love their I pods Companies are pricing their gear out of reach. When I go to the shows I see and hear the new products but it seems tough to justify the $$$ to upgrade. Is there hope for the future generations to embrace this hobby and can they afford it?
High End is Dead?
Browsing used audio sites such as Audiogon and the Marts, high end gear ads are dominated by several dealers. Non-dealer ads are usually people trying to push 15+ year old off-brand junk at 60-70% of MSRP (when they were new). They don't sell anything. You could slash Wilsons, Magicos, etc, 50% off retail and no one will buy them.
No one buys if it costs more than 1k. It's not that they're not interested -- the ads get plenty of views. It's that the asking prices are just way over the ability of buyers to pay. Fact is, if you see a high end piece for sale it's probably by a dealer, often times trying to push it at 15% off retail because its a trade in, but also often they are taking a good chunk off the price 30, 40 sometimes 50% off. They can be famous brands with a million positive reviews. No buyers.
Are we just poor, and that's all there is to it?
No one buys if it costs more than 1k. It's not that they're not interested -- the ads get plenty of views. It's that the asking prices are just way over the ability of buyers to pay. Fact is, if you see a high end piece for sale it's probably by a dealer, often times trying to push it at 15% off retail because its a trade in, but also often they are taking a good chunk off the price 30, 40 sometimes 50% off. They can be famous brands with a million positive reviews. No buyers.
Are we just poor, and that's all there is to it?