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The older I get the better it all sounds.

I'm 40 now and have loved this hobby since I was 7, when I first started playing my parents' Elvis, Platters, and Tokens 45s.

1 - 10 ???

Have no problem to join with young ones.

I'm old now (41) but I wasnt old when I got into the hobby (14 or 15) HOWEVER - I haven't been altogether dedicated over the 25 years or so . I have had other interests such as Sailing , motor car racing , photography and so forth that have been centre stage. I have always loved music regrdless of the other pursuits.

I'm just in the middle of your range. Being involved for more than 20 years in high end, and hoping to be in the race for the 40 next years to come, I think that young and old audiophiles can surely coexist...

I am 23 years old and I am an audiophile. While my current system is modest by Stereophile standards (although it does contain several recommended components), I have dedicated my life to the accurate reproduction of the music I love within the home. I only wish that more people in my age group took sound reproduction as seriously as I do. Most of them have never even heard of the high-end audio manufacturers that fill the pages of Stereophile and the hearts of my fellow audiophiles. We must educate these people so that they may realize what they have been missing. I refuse to believe that there are those who can't hear the difference between a budget mini-system and even a modest hi-fi rig that has been properly set up (by following J-10's advice in "Fine Tunes," of course). Long live classical and jazz music and long live high-end "high performance" audio.

I'm 28 and the oly person in my generation who seems to be an audiophile. MP3 is the comanding force with all others my age that i know. I find that very sad.

Too old....

There are more and more new younger audiophiles, who said audiophiles have to be only above 50+

Younger than Springtime

I have been progressively depleting by money for the last 4 years. Currently I have the acoustic energy 100 series for my home theatre setup. While budget is a problem for young enthusiasts entry level hi-fi equipment from such companies as NAD are allowing people on a budget to enter the fray.

Even though I am in my late 20s, my girlfriend will tell you that I act like a man in his 50s, as my interest in jazz is too "retro."

I remember a Christmas gift of a record player at 8. I listened for hours under the dining-room table to two Elvis records that came with the 'table. I have in my basement today the 400 45's that were purchased as a result of that and later gifts. Next came a Tandy receiver and separate speakers with summer money during college; I married, and with wedding money came a Sony receiver, Dual 'table, and Advent speakers. During the last 2 years I've undertaken the task of listening to my entire library. This has been a great exploration and reacquainted me with music I had long forgotten and returned me to the correct focus of audio. Although I will purchase a new tonearm and cartridge, this year my focus now is back on music.

I've been an audiomaniac since 13. Perhaps your survey will only indicate the demographics of your readers.

I am 33, so get rid of that 40 on the end of the age group! When I listen to Nitzer Ebb, I am 22. When I listen to Rush, I am 14. When I listen to Brownsville Station, I am 6. Does this count?

Great idea. I have feared for a long time that we aren't getting young and vibrant people into our hobby. I'm very curious what the results indicate.

24, dammit!

i've been an audiphile since i was 18 and i'm finally ready to by my first dedicated systems.one for listening and one fot home theatre.i'm beyond excited because i have been doing alot of reviewing to find the best gear for my budget .i think i may have done it.we'll see what happens

a 21 year old audiophile and the wallet is hurting greatly.

I'm 36 now, but I have been an audiophile since I was 12. My best audio buddy is 22 and became interested when he was 17. Who says it can't happen when you are young!

I've been following this business over ten years now, so there does exist a younger generation. The budget constraint, of course, does limit actually building a system at a young age, but the foundation for the interest is built early.

28. There are some Gen X audiophiles.

It will be fun when my two young sons are old enough to be audiophiles. They already love music.

Just because I'm a "hi-fi wacko," I haven't really had the heart to actively try to interest anyone in this hobby. I believe in letting people establish their own bizarre behavior.

Old enough?

Old enough to realize that, although I can now afford more expensive gear than I could in the past, it's probably not such a good idea to buy such equipment. First, I'm beginning to question the value of spending thousands of extra dollars to get relatively minor improvements in sound. Second, I don't like being in debt. And third (and most importantly), although I still have a long way to go until retirement, I'm close enough to recognize that 5 or 10 thousand dollars invested in a good mutual fund today will ultimately prove much more valuable to me when I'm 70 than will an another expensive system upgrade.

been an audiophile since 16

I am currently 31-40 but will be 41-50 very soon. I'm scared.

My grade 9 music-appreciation teacher turned me on to good sound. We were lucky to have a dedicated classroom optimized for good music reproduction and an avid musicologist as a teacher. Thirty years later, I am still trying to get the "sound."