Audiophiles: Dead or Dying?

[Confused]

I guess this is all about numbers.  In my very earliest memories, many middle class families would aim to have some kind of music replay system in the home, this might be separates, a music centre, or before that the beloved Radiogram.

 

Today, this might be an Amazon Echo, some kind of mini / midi system or whatever.  In my experience, there were some big department stores of my childhood that sold hifi separates, that today sell sound bars, smart speakers, Bluetooth speakers and similar.

 

It is hard to judge how much this is a move away from audiophilia as such, many of the people buying hifi separates in the 1970's were not audiophiles, just middle class home owners who felt that they needed a respectable audio system for the home, and bought separates because it was commonly considered these were superior to a music centre or similar.

 

But maybe all this could interpreted as a move away from true audiophile systems towards more basic mass produced audio systems?

 

If so, maybe during my living memory there is perhaps a move away from audiophilia, but at the same time the world population has more than doubled.  So if the drift away from audiophilia is say 40%, the absolute total number of audiophiles is presumably actually increasing.

 

Just some idle thoughts from myself.  I think that the people with a better understanding of the facts would be audio manufacturers and the dealers. 

 

Has anyone got any actual facts?  There must be some hard data out there?