Guys, I don't share all the gloom and doom voiced here. We're headed towards third world status? Audio is dead? Wha?

As for me, I think this is a golden age for those who really love music. Good quality gear has never been cheaper. Everyone can afford taking their favorite music mobile with incredible flexibility. Instead of being limited to radio or a single cassette, one can fit a library in their compact player. Not to mention having a CD changer or iPod dock in your car. There has never been more choices in terms of music deployment. Vinyl is still very much available and there are multiple digital formats, most of which can be centrally stored in a computer environment for immediate access. Compact bookshelf speakers today are incredibly good. For the crazies like me, available sound quality has never been better. The used market brims with great deals and with the internet, we have easy access to finding it. NOS tubes are easily found. And - as this forum demonstrates - there is an incredible source of sharing experience with others that never existed in the alleged "heyday" of audio. Call me an incurable optimist, but I can't imagine things in audio being any better for us!

rw