So what’s the future look like

As a very new and almost accidental audiophile, I would think that one of the biggest issues with pretty much any young people these days is the cost of what is considered even decent hifi. For those really into the hobby and flush with cash, it is nothing to recommend that someone get a $2000 phono preamp (I learned about these a few days ago). A used set of speaker cables like the ones that came with my inherited system sold for $1000 on this site last year.

So I get that a young post college person might hear that these sorts of expenditures are necessary and not get it even if they have heard and can hear the difference.

I also don't think there are many people who sit and listen to music the way they sit and watch TV, cruise FaceBook or read an actual book. I think for most people, including young people, music is part of life's background. I also thing the millenial aged people have extraordinarily short spans of attention and I think the multimedia world has carefully crafted this trait and parents like me did not appreciate what was happening or do anything about it.

I also agree with whoever said above the rock and roll was pretty much dead. However, for some fresh air, take a look at Gary Clark, Jr and also The Struts. (They've both been around for 4-5 years but you'll never hear them on the radio where I live which is near the 15th largest city in the U.S.

If you really want to hear some raw but nuanced guitar work, check out Gary Clark, Jr.'s cover of Hendrix' Third Stone From the Sun. This was one of the first songs I listened to once I got my system set up sort of properly (with the kind help of members here). 

yes it is easy to think, in part, that  the price of entry that keeps young people out.  I really thought so just a couple of days ago.  then my son showed me what he and his girlfriend could pull together with 1700.00   some used, some new  some lower range ELACS and bingo, not too shabby.
I hope they spread the word.
demo'd with their copy of GD's Reckoning.   Nice.

+1 n80! I recommend buying used vintage gear - there's a lot of it around!

I've kept up on the news of the "vinyl revival" and it's a common theme from those interviewed, old or young just getting in to it, to praise the sound quality of vinyl over digital.

Putting aside how accurate their impressions are, it nonetheless has me wondering if the vinyl revival will help push even a tiny bit of a surge in the sales of better stereo systems.  I mean....for the most part you NEED a stereo system, which many people never really had.  (Putting aside the Crosby-type players). 


I certainly don't see some new giant wave of money coming in for the high end audio industry, but perhaps we'll see more people thinking about sound systems than we have for many years.

BTW, my wife doesn't share the desire to listen sitting down to music, but to my surprise both my sons - 16 and 20 years old - seem to enjoy sometimes listening to my system.   My 16 year old often requests songs he loves to be played on my system, and ends up dancing/air drumming around the room.

My older son sometimes will sit and listen, and several times has had friends come over to listen to a new album release on my stereo.  So even his friends seem to "get it" somewhat.

Again, given how these youngsters normally listen - crap headphones or on a laptop, or on their phone - this surprises me.

I remember as a teenager (70s-80s) getting a new album and sitting down and listening to it all the way through with friends. Few of us had really nice hifi equipment but some of us had decent stuff....and that is whose house we all went to.

I’m listening to vinyl right now and haven’t in 30 years. Its on my old 1980 Toshiba 25w receiver, a pair of Bose bookshelf speakers and a 15 year old Sony TT. I am quite surprised how good it sounds. Can’t wait to hear it on the good system. Oh, its The Alan Parsons Project, Eye In The Sky....which I would assume was engineered and produced at a high level.

On this topic though I was with family at xmas and several of us were talking about craft beers and good scotch when someone mentioned some things being an acquired taste. A 45 year old cousin piped up and said he did not understand going through the trouble to acquire a taste when you are perfectly happy with a Budweiser or Johnny Walker. He has a certain point.