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I beleive that about 20 percent just based on the amount of companies buying for position in the marketplace

Despite our own self sense of importance, the realties of economics and general priorities means we are not just in the minority but an insignificant one at that in terms of sheer numbrs. However in terms of US$ expenditure we should be larger in importance as the cost of equip is higher than mass market stuff, and even more so for profit margins for equip makers.

In Hong Kong, I think there are quite a lot of music lovers can be classified as audiophiles. There was a High-End Hi-Fi show two weeks ago and it was crowded with people, and there are around five or six local Hi-Fi magazines in such a small place.

Two comments and one question: it's about 5%, it's a shame and what can we do to convert the other 95% so that we can ALL benefit from better sound and music reproduction?

Unfortunaly we are in the extreme minority. Most people simply dont care about sound quality.

everyone who loves music is an audiophile once they experience equipment slightly above average and gain knowledge about what does and does not make a well made and good sounding piece of equipment.price is not a factor as we all know a good sounding piece of equipment can be produced and sold for relatively little money.

I think I'm being optomistic when I say 5–6%!

I checked the 1-2% category, but only because you didn't have a lower one. I would put the number at about 0.5% of music buyers. If it was any larger, the major record labels would pay a bit more attention to us. But we're not more numerous, ao they don't. Sad but true.

With 3-4%, I'm probably being hopelessly optimistic!

Audiophiles probably spend 2 or 3 times more on software than the average customer. We clearly have a greater tendency to buy audiophile labels (rather than mass music labels) and hi-res formats.

If there's 1 out of 50 music lovers that's an audiophile, then we're probably lucky. Sad to say, as much as some of us love great audio reproduction and good recordings, it seems to me that the vast majority are content with mini-disc resolution. I wish it was different.

If I were to base my reply on the original meaning of the term audiophile- a lover of music -- I would say more than 50%. Given the current usage of the word I say less than 1%.

I hope that that % of the marketplace care about the sound they hear. I may have overshot the amount by a large margin. Friends ask me about purchases and for help in choosing equipment occassionaly. But with few exceptions I have never had a conversation with a friend about upgrading their system. Some will ask to listen when they get wind that I have a new compontent but I am unsure if that is just friendship or actual interest.

How could it possibly be greater than 2%, which is over five million in the US alone?

Just when you think that you are almost alone in your quest for high quality audio, you visit an event like the spactular event held this past May in New York and you realize that you are not alone after all.

Plesae define "audiophile."

Mp3 is breeding new generations of hifi-illiterates.

Depends of course on the definition of audiophile, but I think that people who at least somewhat care about the sound quality count for roughly 10% of the population.

If we're talking percentage of the general population, 1–2% is WAY too high, even if we adopt the most encompassing definition of "audiophile." My estimate would be 0.05% of the general US population.

Depending on demographics, the average audiophile probably comprises less than 5% of the buying public. Of course, this has absolutely nothing to do with one's taste in music, which is a completely different poll question altlogether! And perhaps even a better question would be: As an audiophile, what is the ratio between the money you spend on audio gear to the money you spend on music anually? I would be willing to bet the results would be surprising!

By music "buying" you must not be including the billions in the pirate markets.

Of course it depends on how define "audiophile". The majority of the market for recorded music is most interested in quick easy and cheap as possible access to music. And MANY people simply don't seem to, for what ever reason, appreciate a really well reproduced sound. Using a narrow definition for audiophile, say a person who finds it interesting to read and follow the long and difficult to follow path to high quality sound presented in a publication such as Stereophile, I'd say the percent is less than 1%. Contributing to this condition, most presentations related high end sound do it in a clubby, you have to be "in the know" sort of way to participate. That is a shame because the overall cost of bringing to market truly high end gear then becomes very dear for those of us who can appreciate the difference in quality of sound.

Although I don't query everyone I happen to encounter,it is very rare to run across someone who shares my enthusiasm for high end audio. I happened to watch Traffik a couple of days ago and was surprised to see an audiophile portrayed. Too bad he was an assassin and was killed himself. Oh well,you take what you can get.

That's easy. What's Stereophile's circulation for its April and October issues?

With any group, there is usually no more than 10 percent true believers.

The combined readership of all the audio and home theater magazines in the US comes to about 1 million, less than 1% of the overall adult population.

We're a flea on an elephant's butt. Anyone who thinks to the contrary is kidding himself.

I find that the high prices scare most people away.

The sad thing for Stereophile is that very few professional musicians are "audiophiles."

Hey, I had to choose 1-2%. You cheatin' good for nuttins! I wanted to put in .002%, but there is no way!