The guy is right. High-End audio has a lot of obstacles in front of it. The current health of the High-End is in large part due to a vibrant economy. When the economy swings the other direction, as it always does, I suspect we will all be stunned at who gets swept into the vortex.

I don't think the High-End is in trouble...as an industry. I just think there will be far fewer players after the first substantial economic downturn. In other words, I don't think it is a viable growth industry, just a specialty niche that will survive with fewer players as the decades roll by.

I like the phrase: "the hard-to-find locations miles from the show floor is an apt metaphor for where high-end audio fits into the lives of many consumers these days."

The ST. Topaz was only about a mile from the convention center. The Venetian is hardly "miles" away.