[Diamond Dog]

Tonepub : I'm thinking that Porsche's marketing people would consider a 27- year old Porsche owner to be the exception rather than the rule. Mercedes, on the other hand, would see that 27-year old as someone to target the C-series at. Once they hit say,their forties, they're ripe for an E-Class and then down the road, an S-Class...smart marketing. Regardless, I absolutely agree that folks will find a way to enjoy the things they really enjoy. And the reason that I made the differentiation between Porsche owners vs. Porsche drivers is because, apparently unlike you, many people buy luxury performance cars for the exclusivity, etc. and not because they ever intend to drive them the way they are capable of being driven. I also see a lot of the snobbery that killed your joy and drove you out of your Porsche reflected in the way a lot of audiophiles approach  "the hobby" and for that matter music in general. That may play a roll in making some shy away from audio. Those old opinionated geezers you are so fond of refering to may also play a role in turning some people off as well but I don't see that as being the main reason that young people aren't attracted to audio because I don't really think young people care what cranky old Grampa has to say about anything, including audio. They just don't see what we ( geezers and others ) do as playing any major role in their lives. They don't want to be plunked down in front of an audio system listening to music any more than they want to be wandering around looking for a pay phone so they can make a call. And I see this industry as largely being in the pay phone business.

It's a marketing issue.

D.D.

PS - You have a nice magazine there. I was checking out a back-issue today and enjoyed it a lot - really fresh. Found a couple of reviews for units I actually own that were quite interesting. You must really enjoy what you do -lucky guy! Don't be so cranky  

[putz]

In the 50-59 group.

When we were younger there were a lot less "distractions" then there are today, Besides music we had TV (7 channels I believe), books, pinball, stickball and music. So music was a bigger part of our lives and you are what you eat. When was the last time you saw someone under 30 reading a newspaper.

On the bright side, we'll all be dead soon and guess who's going to inherit all that equipment.

[Diamond Dog]

Nice restraint, D.

Thanks. It's a constant struggle...

Being new to 'the hobby', and as someone who is professionally involved in marketing (aren't we all ), I gotta say that even if you didn't know that hifi was a 'niche' market, you'd guess it based on the clumsy, esoteric advertising that predominates these parts. Even the companies who are getting the look and industrial 'feel' of the products seemingly right, I go to their websites and I'm like, 'who forgot to finish this page?'. Or, 'where are the photos'? It's just surprising, frankly. Then the copy talks to you like you're an electrical engineer. Specs and details are good, necessary, and interesting, but you've got to tell a story, too. Why should I care? How will it make my listening -heck my life- more enjoyable, fix my self esteem issues, make me feel powerful?  I kid, but, seriously, that's how you're going to get people juiced. Apple knows that. What if the next iPhone campaign were "Now, 26 Gigaflops of Capacitator Bandwidth!" or whatever. Gigaflop indeed. Yeah, they'll get to that, but only to help tell the story.

That's what I'm talkin' about! But it's product-related,too.

Marketing may be BS, but it's BS that's based on deep human needs and desires (just ask Edward Bernays, Freud's nephew and the inventor of public relations. For real.)...

And if you don't think you have those needs and desires, maybe we can show you that you do...

D.D.

[Diamond Dog]

On the bright side, we'll all be dead soon and guess who's going to inherit all that equipment.

I give up ...the government? 

D.D.

[jjc1]

amblin, there is much precedent for your attachment to old media. People for milennia have held onto old technologies every time a new one has been introduced - clay tablets over papyrus, manuscripts over the printed page, vinyl over CDs, books over e-readers. But economies of production, ease of use and ubiquity usually triumph. Micro SD? No way! Most music now is delivered to users wihout hard media at all, often through iTunes, the world's largest seller of music. You are nostalgic, which is understandable.  Audiophiles share their own kind of nostalgia and regret as shown in this thread - the potential loss of interest by new generations in high quality sound reproduction. As I near 70, I will now return to my purely digital music via my BDP-1, while reading a wirelessly downloaded Kindle book on my iPad, while you will enjoy (no sarcasm meant or intended) flipping discs and pages.

Dave

Hey Dave, our age group seems to be quite a minority for audiophiles according to the survey responses. And in another year or so I'll be practically null and void (as it seems for you also according to your response to Amblin).

[jjc1]

Bought my first Porsche when I was 27 and I was never a trust fund kid.  Had a $20k system in 1980 when I was in college. Drove a $100 car so I could have a great system. 

There are plenty of people that drive $50k worth of Harley and Harley accessories that have normal incomes, and other people that invest in similar things on modest means.  If you really enjoy something, you make sacrifices in other areas to pursue the thing you really are into.

And all the snobbery about 35 year old Porsche owners not being Porsche drivers is really boring.  That's why I eventually stopped owning Porsches.  At 29, I had attended a number of driving schools and was blowing the 50 somethings into the weeds at PCA events on a regular.  But I wasn't a real Porsche driver because I was young and I wasn't a real Porsche owner because i had a 944. 

It's the same reason people aren't interested in audio.  They're sick and tired of a bunch of old, opinionated geezers trying to tell them what they should think.  It was boring in the mid 80's and it's equally boring now.

                                  Well now, you young wipper-snapper!

[jjc1]

110 votes in 24 hours -- great response guys.  The poll says that 58.1% of the respondents are over 50 and 82.6% are over 40 with one outlier at 70 or older and one under 20.  Some great comments about what it may mean for our hobby.  Funny thing is I have been messing around with audio equipment for almost 50 years and I feel like my enthusiasm for the equipment and the music has remained pretty much constant.  After all age is just a number.  How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?

Tony

   I like that!

[Rocket_Ronny]

I just turned 31 a few days ago. Ever since I hit Forty I have started to count backwards.


Rocket_old enough to know better_Ronny

[headshrinker2]

 

I just turned 31 a few days ago. Ever since I hit Forty I have started to count backwards.


Rocket_old enough to know better_Ronny

[Rocket_Ronny]

When I hit 0 I am done.


Rocket_T-10,9,8,7_Ronny

[Letitroll98]

Lots of old people, the way I like it.  Please, leave the children at home, they have iTunes.

[thunderbrick]

60 and a half!  And a damned young 60+!

Besides, old age and cunning will overcome youth and skill everytime!   

Besides, I use my gear to blow people away with what music can REALLY sound like.  I enjoy getting young ones turned on to higher-end gear.  I've move at least 5 kids to the analog dark side just by saying "sit down, shut up, and LISTEN, dammit!"

Then I clean up their drool and help 'em find gear.   

[amblin]

amblin, there is much precedent for your attachment to old media. People for milennia have held onto old technologies every time a new one has been introduced - clay tablets over papyrus, manuscripts over the printed page, vinyl over CDs, books over e-readers. But economies of production, ease of use and ubiquity usually triumph. Micro SD? No way! Most music now is delivered to users wihout hard media at all, often through iTunes, the world's largest seller of music. You are nostalgic, which is understandable.  Audiophiles share their own kind of nostalgia and regret as shown in this thread - the potential loss of interest by new generations in high quality sound reproduction. As I near 70, I will now return to my purely digital music via my BDP-1, while reading a wirelessly downloaded Kindle book on my iPad, while you will enjoy (no sarcasm meant or intended) flipping discs and pages.

Dave

  i've got a PAD, i even brought an iPhone last month..ha ha. Because there's a brilliant app which i can sort my CD and LPs. The thing can scan the barcodes and find all the album details, impressive....But i still couldn't figure out how to access the pictures using my PC.. because there's no quick guide of any sort i'm guessing those peoples at the fruit factory hates printed materials so much , they deliberately made the box so small that you can't put anything else into it other than the phone itself, the charger, a cable and some stickers i don't know what for. . oh, and there was a tiny little pin, but i lost it. 

[Phil A]

By the way, people ask me all time why I am not on Facebook and I tell them I'm on Face Lift Book

[ebag4]

60 and a half!  And a damned young 60+!

Besides, old age and cunning will overcome youth and skill everytime!   

Besides, I use my gear to blow people away with what music can REALLY sound like.  I enjoy getting young ones turned on to higher-end gear.  I've move at least 5 kids to the analog dark side just by saying "sit down, shut up, and LISTEN, dammit!"

Then I clean up their drool and help 'em find gear.   

Thunderbrick, you need one of these!







BTW, I probably skewed the results, I voted yesterday but had I waited until Saturday I would have increased the 50 somethings by one instead of the 40 somethings.


Best,
Ed

[SHV]

"Age of Porsche Owners/Drivers"
****
67
**
 "And the reason that I made the differentiation between Porsche owners vs. Porsche drivers is because, apparently unlike you, many people buy luxury performance cars for the exclusivity, etc."

996 TT (modified) 67,000 miles
Boxster S 62,000 miles
Cayenne S 100,000

". and not because they ever intend to drive them the way they are capable of being driven"
******
It's a very rare person who is capable of driving any of the cars at their potential and I am not one of them; still doesn't stop me from driving, however.

Steve

[amblin]

Thunderbrick, you need one of these!



BTW, I probably skewed the results, I voted yesterday but had I waited until Saturday I would have increased the 50 somethings by one instead of the 40 somethings.


Best,
Ed

I got similar t-shirts, but for my other hobby, film photography.  " FILM IS NOT DEAD, IT JUST SMELLS FUNNY" 


==================

And about performance cars, the performances, they are like cash in the pocket. Having alot does not necessarily mean you have to spend it all. Knowing you have alot, alone, is already quite a satisfaction.

Enough is never good enough. More is more. More is better.

[Scottdazzle]

I got bit by the music bug as a young child, sitting in front of Mom's Sears stereo console listening to everything from Marty Robbins to Beethoven (thanks Mom!).  I got the stereo bug at age 16 and have been hooked ever since. Now 58 and enjoying music as much as ever.  The ears still work fine; wish I could say the same for the back and the knees.

[sfraser]

Hmmmmm. How about old enough to know better but young enough not to care?

[john1970]

I have been interested in listening to and enjoying much since a yound child.  Growing up listening to my father's Bozak Concert Grand speakers definitely left an impression on me and taught me the value of music reproduction.  In grad school I had a modest system consisting of a NAD 304 integrated amp and a pair of Linn bookshelf speakers.  A couple of year after finishing grad school I got serious about upgrading my system.  After slowly assembling a nice system over more that five years it looks that I will be finishing by the end of this year.  It's been a lot of fun, but the system is only a means by which to produce recorded music as accurately as possible.

Forgot to mention that I am 36.

Cheers,

John