Poll: Are there any young audiophiles?
Lots of people love music, but twenty- or thirty-something audiophiles are rare. Why is that?
Where are the under-30 audiophiles? I don't know a single one here in New York City. Sure, high-end audio gear can be expensive, but that's no excuse. A pair of Audioengine 2 speakers ($199) and an iPod can sound pretty sweet. Maybe an older relative would be happy to give you a hi-fi or speakers they don't use anymore. There's no shortage of dirt-cheap, decent-sounding gear at yard sales, and there are lots of awesome deals on used hi-fi classics at Audiogon. So high prices can't be the only reason why young people aren't becoming audiophiles or reading audio magazines like Stereophile or Tone Audio. Hey, I read car magazines filled with Ferraris and Porsches when I was a kid working at a supermarket.
Head-Fi, an international headphone club and forum seems to have lots of younger members; I'm hoping some of the next generation of audiophiles will come from Head-Fi. For $300 or $400 you can buy brand new world-class headphones. I'm working on a review of a $219 tube headphone amplifier kit that sounds amazing. Not just amazing for the money, it's a great sounding amp, period.
I'd love to hear from under 30 audiophiles in the Comments section. Please share any ideas you have about how the high-end audio industry could attract younger buyers.