Cultural Death of Hi-Fi

[esldude]

I am not so sure anything has changed on the age demographic.  HiFi and later High end have been mostly middle aged or older men for at least a couple generations.  

[esldude]

On 12/31/2017 at 7:39 AM, PeterSt said:

 

How can this be related to disposable income, while each two years a new smartphone is needed, of which a nice small stereo could be bought each two years. Oh wait, I pay for those phones, I think. Hmm.

Something is so wrong by now, that it is beyond comprehension.

I would say a smartphone is a more versatile more personally valuable device than a small stereo of the same cost.  You could say the stereo might not need repurchasing for 20 years (but that wouldn't be the audiophile crowd). 

 

A phone can make phone calls, texts, take and share pictures, access the internet for fun or need or business, be a GPS (with many possible good uses combined with other networking), record sound, measure sound, control thousands of other devices over networks, keep one apprised of weather conditions, be used to purchase things both for later and for immediate use etc etc etc with more uses than I have time to list.  Plus more not yet quite reaching critical mass or imagined.   

 

A stereo for the same money is actually kind of pitiful in its capabilities.