From about 10 years ago (when I first gained an interest in High End Audio, by accidentally stumbling across audioreview.com, in my quest to find a review for some cheap Technics speakers) I've seen threads claiming that audiophilia (how I hate that name) is dying/dead... Of course that really refers to North America and not places like Japan, where Hi-Fi is still booming...

Anyway, a recent thread on a Stereophile forum left me wondering if audiophilia is as strong as ever, but that it has morphed with the new generation... The point was made that the market for high-end headphones is growing and growing and that many younger listeners are as hardcore (if not more so) about their headphone rigs, as the the 'traditional' audiophile is about his loudspeaker setup...

A quick look at the number of younger persons actively involved on Head-Fi.com and regularly attending annual Head-Fi meets indicates that audiophilia is still very much alive and kicking...

Also, an examination of the headphone market shows new players vying for a spot selling high-end headphones... Monster has a line of them (starting with the Beats by Dr Dre - which have received excellent reviews and are featured in a number of pop music videos), B&W is entering the market... Earlier this year, Denon launched a $1K flagship pair... Sennheiser launched their $1.4K flagships, etc... Even Bose has received good reviews for their noise cancelling phones...

As I've mentioned in a previous thread, the trend towards high-end headphones rather than speakers makes sense, considering that most of us in the younger generations start off with an iPod or other portable player... So our first upgrade would usually be to buy a nicer pair of headphones... And considering how much cheaper it is to get to true high-end sound with a pair of cans than with loudspeakers, it is the only way many persons can afford high-end...

Now, some persons believe that the younger generation will eventually buy high-end speakers as their earnings grow... but IMO, whether they do or not is irrelevant, the fact that they are buying high quality gear already shows that our hobby is alive and kicking...