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It is hard to get into high-end audio gear as a young 'un. People our age are not taken seriously when they shop a high-end store.
Reader "craig" writes: "Okay, let's get right to it. What is the age of <I>Stereophile</I>'s readers? The reason I ask is the choice of 'favorite music' in a recent Vote question." So how old are you?
I just turned 40 this year. I might as well tell you, I've been an audiophile since I was 11 years old, and I'll make sure I remain an audiopile till the day I die. Right now, I need to work on making more time to listen to my system, and also to clean up many of the old records I've bought. But it's one of the greatest hobbies a person can have.
I have been an audiophile for quite some years. Presently I have a system nearing $10K. I love music, but if some of you in smaller cities, like Nashville haven't noticed good radio stations are hard to come by. Nashville got rid of their jazz station and in its place put on christian music. When radio brings new music it to people's attention it is hard to warrant spending a lot of money if the only music you know is a bunch of new crap like Back Street Boys and In Sync. Or how about glass shattering Shania Twain recordings. The only good thing there is her butt in leather pants. Long live that at least. Or how could a good system ever benefit Celine "compressed" Dion.
One (of several) big problems with the discrepancy in numbers between older and younger audiophiles is the fact that most music that audiophiles like is not what younger people really like. I know this is a generality; bear with me. I know that my musical tastes have changed due to the prowess of my system. I cannot listen to poorly produced CDs. What the rest of the population does not understand about "us" is that very change. The problem is, how do we get people to feel that little slice of heaven that we do? Sit them down in the chair, put THEIR favorite disc in. If you have a remastered version of the same, do an A-B. The fact is, you can't sell the idea on YOUR musical terms, it's got to be on theirs.
Conventional maybe! But definitely not "WISDOM." I've been into high-end audio since the age of 19-20. Many young'uns and old folks don't know what sound really is! My first receiver was a 30Wpc Harman/Kardon. I have found from past experience that if you expose a person to quality audio gear, they are literally blown away by what they perceive sound really should impart to their delicate ears. I have countless converts to prove it!! Lately I've been giving friends (old & young alike) a listening test of my new B&K Ref. 20 preamp/tuner and its matching power amp. The jaws dropped to the floor! Boy was that fun, seeing the expressions on their faces (again) and I haven't upgraded my speakers YET! So folks, take heed, the young'uns are joining the ranks of the elite, once they are shown there is more to audio than the crap you see in your Sunday newspaper ads.
I got hooked on high-end audio after listening to my uncle's Waveform Mach 17s. Don't have quite enough money to buy loudspeaker like that myself, so I build DIY. Maybe when I get older, I'll spend more money on high-end. But right now I'll live with my Focal W cone and ribbon tweet loudspeaker I'm going to build which I happened to get a chance to buy from someone close with Focal.
My daughters (20&24) will probably never get into high end stereo because high paying jobs are getting harder to find, (unless you are into some .com thing)in canada and there is so many ways to spend your money now. I've had copys off your mag around the house for years and music(live and recorded) has been a big part of our household entertainment all there lives.I have always owned decent equipment and have bought them both good quality starter stereos but they don't seem to care much about about upgrading!
63 years old. First real hi-fi set in 1958: Bogen turntable, Heathkit and AR2, mono. Lots of radios before that with tubes exposed, turntable wired to the pot. Still have my Weller solder station at the ready, silver wire for the signal line.