There are places in the world where the high end market is thriving, just not so much in the US.

There are amazing shops in Japan and audiophiles (in the true sense of the word: lover of sound) who spend far more for their gear than their apartments or furnishings and who actually intensely listen to their gear, They have listening parties. They go from home to home enjoying each other's gear. They preserve/revere the greatness of the past and tweak in the present.

Music and high fidelity is a passion, and much of it is borne out of their own musical achievement. I'm amazed at how many of them still play an instrument as an adult. they love to pull out the clarinet, trombone, guitar, whatever, and of course, sing, sing, sing.

I'm a child of band and choir, having participated in both in school and church. Loved it. Those experiences shaped a deeper appreciation for music and a desire to be surrounded by good music, diverse music, interesting music.

Most of the kids I work with in the tough parts of LA have no music in school. They don't play an instrument. They can't read music. They don't know how to sing. But they can spew out a string of expletives in a rap or hip/hop explosion and imitate their favorite, vapid pop artists.

Maybe part of the problem here is that for a couple of generations music has been largely an external experience, and all that can produce is imitation. I think that if one starts with music in his or her heart, the odds of becoming a true audiophile and high end seeker are much improved.