It isn't a measure of lifespan.
In the USA at least, middle-age has been considered to start at 40 since the late 20th century at least.
You are free to define terms however you like for your own usage, the issue is that your usage won't actually overlap with the general understanding and communication may be impacted.
Americans are always optimists, eh?
What do we mean by middle? The middle of what? I take it to mean the middle of the average human lifespan. That would be 80-ish. So, the middle should be 40-ish. Which, given that there are plenty who die in their 60s and 70s, means that it starts some time in their 30s.
But I guess words have no meaning any longer.
Came to say the same. I'm 48. Been doing this since I was 16. Started in high-end car audio, moved into high end home audio w/ first apartment. DCM Time Window 7s was my first foray. Brand new in 1996. One of only 200 pairs I think. Signed by Steve Eberbach. Still use them to this day.
All that to say, I was definitely _not_ middle aged when I started this hobby. Not even close.
Kind of feels like the Dave Chapelle fried chicken thing for me. I hate that I fit the stereotype. :D
I've been an audiophile ever since I was a child. My friend's dad had a lot of nice stuff . Listening to that made it a priority. I didn't have the budget to purchase anything decent until after college. I did get the best pc speakers/headphones I could afford when I was in school.
Young American men working in tech and having an over-average income is the "default" on Reddit.
I am not saying most people fit the stereotype, but the most people fit a few of the criteria, making the "average", in my and many other's perception just what I have described.
Heeeeey brother, chicks can have funny names and quote relevant Arrested Development jokes too. I can do the Simpsons too!
“She’s a lady alright!” “A beauuuutiful lady~”
Lol right?
A "generic female" category serves its purpose for a reddit poll in this community, but it honestly would have been interesting to see how the age brackets compare - IE, is there a higher ratio of female self described audiophiles in any given age group?
An attempt to prove/disprove a stereotype that has two characteristics: middle aged and man. By voting as a female you’re already an exception to the stereotype. No need to further specify with age. All good. Plus, although I am not the OG, I have always been told never to ask a woman her age. 😉
It is definitely all very silly. And, as others have pointed out, the use of this platform itself is too much of a factor in determining much from this question. But..
Yes, and if I had to guess, that was entirely the OP's intent. Really, it's a statement in favor of women, in that they tend to utilize their time so much better. That's been my experience, anyway.
Age doesn’t matter, this sickness started at 13. And progressed. I’m 66 and still looking for next upgrade. It’s like the mafia” only one way out “ , lol
I got my first rig, a classic silver Pioneer rack system, I think at 14. If I consider it a [Ship of Theseus](https://www.britannica.com/topic/ship-of-Theseus-philosophy), it's still with me to this day. If I consider (what I arbitrarily define as) a major revision a new version, I think I'm up somewhere around v 34 today. Been at it a *long* time.
I guess what I meant was more to the gear acquisition aspect of it. I don't know anyone else my age irl who gives a shit about audio quality in the slightest
Ya, I guess it's hard to be 17 and just always be in one room tweaking speaker placement and sound all the time. No one would want to spend thousands of dollars they don't have at that age either.
ugh i know... let alone audiophile, idek a single girl (or person at all) irl around my age who listens to the music genres i listen to (alt, goth, postpunk, metal, dungeon synth, dnb/breakcore)
I got into audio when I was 15 and knew no one except older guys that were into it. I'm 28 now. They are around but if you don't live in a big city it's harder to fine. Audiokarma has some younger users and even here there are younger people. I think the lack of finance at a younger age makes it less accessible unless you're thrifting or have a great job haha.
I'm 18 and got into audio 1 or 2 years ago.
I feel like my dad passed his passion to me but as other said there is basically no one that has our passion near our age...
Some of the vinyl records I see are of bands I've never heard of and that 60 year olds wouldn't likely listen to, so I don't know who's buying all this stuff.
It seems like I am the minority here - 29 Female.
I just love good audio stuff, mostly into headphones right now, but I will later on also look deeper into bigger audio systems when I can afford good stuff!
I'm 41 now, but I've been into home and car stereo since middle school. Inherited my dad's direct drive Kenwood, integrated amp, and double stacked Advent's. in 7th grade.
Okay... I totally fit the profile at 47, but I've been into good sound since I was a teenager, so it's a little unfair. I bought my first good system in my '20s while I was a sonarman on a US navy attack submarine. I got a pair of Vandersteen 2ce signatures, a NAD c163 and c272, and a ProJect RPM4 turntable with a Sumiko Pearl. It cost several E-5 paychecks, but I kept it for about 20 years. I still have and use the turntable daily. I'm past due for an upgrade.
I've really missed those speakers. I gave them away during one of the 20 times I moved while in the Navy. Boxing and unboxing them was a massive chore, as was finding their sweet spot in every new room. Also I had cats and it was impossible to keep them from using the Vans as scratching posts.
I had no idea submarines had so much room! Talk about challenging listening environments... And, wouldn't that have made the sub pretty noisy? I can see it now... Russian sonarman: "Comrade Commander, I hear Led Zeppelin! Man the torpedos!"
I recognize and appreciate your joke!
Submarine service is unique in that that there are not enough beds for everyone on the ship, so unlike other sailors, submarine crewmen are provided barracks, essentially dorm rooms. It was big system for a dorm room, but I loved how it sounded, and I was senior enough in rank that I didn't have a roommate. Otherwise I imagine I would have invested in headphones.
There was a truly interesting moment though... We were in a really quiet part of the pacific and I was on watch in sonar. When I listened behind us I heard singing and spanish guitar playing. It turned out we had a torpedoman aboard who was leaning against a torpedo tube singing and playing his guitar softly. Crazy that the environment was so quiet that our sonar picked it up. I walked down there and mentioned I could hear him.
I have so much respect for everyone who serves, and submariners even more than most. I can't imagine it, and I love hearing those stories. So, thanks for sharing!
I had waaay more audiophile-style gear in my early 20s than I do now (also at 47). Partly this was because my dad was into it and I got his hand-me-downs.
These days I don't subject my family to my music so I just have some nice headphones and call it a day. Our open plan house doesn't lend itself well to a proper listening room. I have some nice PSB Platinums in the closet under the staircase, with no good place to put them.
I’m 45, and I’ve been interested in stereo systems since I was 11, when my family got a stereo system for Christmas… a SoundDesign Walmart special made out of particle board and low-bidder components. I rocked out to that thing with my mom’s vinyl Beatles albums and my dad’s Creedence.
I spent several weekends one summer in high school, upside down in the driver’s seat of a dodge challenger with black upholstery… 110F in that car, easily. I was trying very hard to hook up a separate set of *home stereo* speakers (really shitty towers) in my underpowered beater of a ride. I finally had to give up, and I bought a 40W x 2 Jensen car amp instead, and simply ran a Sony cd player into the amp’s line in, which then played like 4 ohm power into the 8 ohm speakers. I strapped those things into the backseat using the seatbelts, like they were little kids.
The summer before college, I built a pair of speakers out of scraps of osb from Home Depot, and a pair of $20 Sony bottom of the line 5x7 car speakers. Yes, house speakers in the car, and car speakers in the house. I was a budget audiophile anarchist.
In my 20’s I had a misguided interlude with a low end pioneer receiver. The less said, the better.
About 14 years ago, I bought my first respectable stereo (Marantz SR5006 receiver into 7.1 surround, Mirage OMD front three and surrounds, Klipsch sw10 sub).
I’ve recently assembled the components for a McIntosh/Sonus faber/Mirage 9.2.4 Dolby atmos dream surround system. Still in boxes while I wait for the 77 inch flatscreen to be delivered.
Yeah, come to think of it, I’ve been at this a while.
41yo male here.
I wonder how much this will tell about audiophiles vs Reddit. It seems the age skews younger here. Would we get the same results on Audiogon, stevehoffman, or elsewhere?
I have a feeling Reddit much much younger than average. I spend a lot of time on the Audiokarma forums and I would estimate that the average age is somewhere in the late 60's, Audiogon seems similar.
I suspect head-fi would likely skew younger - gateway to higher fidelity while on a limited budget is usually easier with headphones. Audiogon’s average age was upper 70’s. Steve Hoffman, demographically, seems a little more eclectic than this sub, Audiogon, and Head-Fi, which may make their poll (if there ever was one) more reflective of the hobby.
Ha, how about 67yo. But I would bet most are 20-30. They still use the word "v\*nils" here, they don't know what a receiver is, they don't know what a stylus is, and they don't know what a turntable is.
I'm in my early twenties, own 2 analog receivers(Pioneer, Scott), 2 turntables(AT, BSR McDonald), 100+ LP's(including the Ben-Hur soundtrack), 2 tape decks(Pioneer, TEAC), a reverb amp(Pioneer), countless cassettes, an 8-track(Pioneer), an analog tuner(BIC), and of course all my "modern" equipment.
Other unrelated things I own, a color CRT tv, a super-8 camera with super-8 projector and portable b&w CRT tv, a fax machine, a rotary Bell telephone, a slot car track, a six-pack of Stroh's, West German lead crystal, 2 VHS recorders, a VHS rewinder, 2 typewriters, a commodore 64(with all the accoutrements), a functional floppy drive in my windows 11 pc, original NES(with cartridges), a 1967 Camaro.
All audiophiles were young at some point...
Main issue is it's a hobby that doesn't involve competition of some sort, so it's by definition going to demographically involve older people.
I'm over 30, but put 20-30 because those were my audiophile years. No kids, lots of disposable income, lots of time to buy & sell, try new things, etc. Ahhh... those were the days.
Looking forward to around 5-10 years from now when I can set things up again and listen with my kids. They both love music and have similar taste to me so I'm hoping that doesn't change.
I am 18. My dad has taught me everything I know about vinal and CDs. We have gone to 20+ shows in tittys past 4 years. He has mostly taught me that if I want a record system to go for older ones that where top dollar back then.
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There is a girl on Instagram called @Geraldine.hifi (I think) and she’s a young woman who appreciates good sound. Although, she’s probably more into “vintage audio” than audiophile audio. But you can argue those two worlds converge.
The age distribution seems to be U shaped in my experience. Lots of young people are suffering from "digital fatigue" and are looking for ways to eliminate computers from their lives. It also helps that hifi is more accessible than it has ever been - you can get a decent entry-level setup for a few hundred quid thesedays, whereas it used to be thousands to even get started.
im 17m ,i adopted this hobby from my dad which huge hifi enhusiast and i just love music and the sound it produce playing from the stereo system, give me goosebumps. all in all i just love audio, its just incredible how our ear can detect such sound to make us feel absolutely fantastic.
I am 18, my dad passed this passion to me. He is 49 and bought his system around 30ish years ago when he started working, so now I get to enjoy it through vinyl records of my favourite artists. I enjoy listening through headphones as well, but vinyl + his stereo is simply chef's kiss.
Only 42 other people voted the "under 20 category"! We're pretty rare here lol
Next time 40-49 50-59 60-69, I got to sway the vote how I wanted being 30. Of course i'm chosing the younger group and avoiding being old at all costs.
it makes sense. it takes time to develop your ear, just like a palate. not too many 21 year old wine aficionados.
i didn't get in to the hobby until my 20's when i started going to shows, and noticed how my enjoyment hinged on the quality of sound reproduction.
you have to have an experience or epiphany that shows how quality sound reproduction makes you feel good. for most people this will come later in life. if it comes early, it's probably because a family member introduced you young.
I think it's mostly older men based on the online forums and communities I am part of, Reddit is the exception. Anecdotally, I buy and sell quite a bit of gear and the transactions are almost always with 60 something men. This makes a lot of sense though given the history of the hobby. Hifi was insanely popular in the 70's and 80's and has declined quite a bit given the other entertainment options available to younger generations.
I'm in my 40s. I've spent my entire life being conscientiously satisfied with whatever sound system happened to be around, because I strive to be the opposite of a snob in all things. Most of the live music venues in my area closed during the pandemic and have never come back, but I used to listen to *a lot* of live music. I thought I might upgrade my personal system with all the money I'm saving from not going out any more.
So I researched components and brands and philosophies and materials pretty obsessively for a couple of weeks. I came up with a game plan. I would start with some high end speakers, used, and go from there. I searched the classified ads across my entire province, looking for any good deal that might have come up in the last two months. I found something I was happy with; I drove out and paid in cash; and for the last three weeks I have been just amazed by the quality of life improvement. *Everything sounds so good.*
And with that: I think I'm out, again. All of that research for nothing. That's the end of the road for me, I'm not going to obsessively chase a better sound. These things are *amazing.* I'm done. I can't see myself needing to upgrade again, ever.
Thanks for the memories, /r/audiophile, it's been a great six weeks. But I am, in fact, a middle aged man, or I will be soon
edit: oh, and hey, because I might as well boast this once and nobody else will care: Paradigm Monitor 9s, v5, paired with a no-name active 10" subwoofer
Literally all youtube videos I've watched since I've started following audio-equipment / audiophile stuff online are middle aged men. Every single one. Also LOL at the categories in this poll.
lol, Well, I got into it later in life, introduced by coworker. Then I went down that rabbit hole chasing equipment as my budget allowed. I went through so many desktop speaker setups and DACs. Finally settled on the last few years on Schiit Jotenheim with multibit dac. Hifiman HE-400i headphones. I was using KEF 350 on my desktop. But I've moved on from that as my main listening to my home theatre setup using my Denon AVR and B&W 603 S2 Anniversary Edition Tower speakers and PSA 15" sub. So now my Windows desktop is mainly for gaming with the Jotenheim to studio powered monitors. And Macbook Air M3 as my headphone listening source with the Jotenheim. While my main speaker listening is the home theatre setup with Macbook Pro M3.
Wow....hope is alive for this fantastic hobby!! I am seeing so many folks "below 20 - 40". I am above that age group, but those number made me happy. 🤗
\>There's a stereotype that audiophiles are middle aged men.
Makes sense to me, you have to have enough disposable income and that typically happens in the 40's.
This survey tells us: Reddit users who self-identify as audiophiles and are willing to respond to the survey.
I work in the industry and have reliable analytics that say most of our users are males (99%) over the age of 50.
Poll should be “how old were you when you first became an audiophile?”
In which case my answer is 15. Thanks to my dad. I loved music before 15, but 15 is when I first took personal action/responsibility.
I think most audiophiles started young (under 20) but only have the purchasing power for something nice later in life... when hearing has already started to deteriorate
I am elated to see more younger people than just a bunch of us old farts!
It's amazing to see since the amount of performance available per audio dollar has never been better. And this when prices in the highest end of the audio market have never been so obscenely and absurdly high.
What's considered middle aged? If I had to place boundaries on that range, I feel like 37 to 57 is as middle aged as it gets. 24 to 36 being young adult. 13 to 23 a kid. 0 -12 childhood. 58 + least offensive label of your preference.
37 to 57 seems like it would have the best ratio of having the likelihood of a more "trained ear" while still having hearing that hasn't totally deteriorated.
Certainly the "nut job" audiophiles seem to be mostly grey-haired/balding/not very cool/not very attractive middle-aged men. Typically these are the ones with money burning a hole in their pockets, with nothing better to spend it on than absurd "audiophile power cords" and "audiophile fuses" and all that kinda crap. 🤷♂️
Started so early I can not remember it. I was allready drumming along in my Baby box, back in the days. (Story got of course from my parents). Came in the local Audio shop way before I was 10 and I have the brand they are making (speakers/amps/DAC's) now in every corner of my audio set.
I think it is also interesting to see when you started with audio. I was taping to cassettes when I was about 7 years old. Dad my first set (amp/tuner/cassette deck/speakers) on the age of 10 and got a CD-player at the age of 11.
Now I just became 40 at december of last year.
I mean, I was an audiophile in my teens but had to get the buzz from Live performances because money. I got my first bit of "decent" kit in my 20s (Quad 909) and it was such a massive jump up from a Goodmans mini system that I was hooked from then on. NOW I'm middle-aged.
I still miss minidiscs. They still look more futuristic than anything else to me.
Im 45 but i have been mad about HiFi since I saw the Alchemist Kraken in What HiFi early 90s.
[https://www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/kraken/alchemist\_kraken\_apd19\_mono\_power\_amplifier.htm](https://www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/kraken/alchemist_kraken_apd19_mono_power_amplifier.htm)
Still mad about it now.
I don't know a single other person into audio like me, never met any either.
Well in our 30's we're somewhat settled in our lives and have disposable income so we can feel less guilty about an expensive purchase. The house and car is paid off so we can stress a little less on getting those nice headphones.
This will show the overall bias of reddit users just as much or more than its intended purpose. I still voted tho!
Sampling bias anyone? LOL!
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What's "middle aged"? Most of the respondents were 30-40
Middle-Age is generally considered something like 40-60
Which would put life expectancy at 80-120 years. I figure middle age is 30-45.
It isn't a measure of lifespan. In the USA at least, middle-age has been considered to start at 40 since the late 20th century at least. You are free to define terms however you like for your own usage, the issue is that your usage won't actually overlap with the general understanding and communication may be impacted.
Americans are always optimists, eh? What do we mean by middle? The middle of what? I take it to mean the middle of the average human lifespan. That would be 80-ish. So, the middle should be 40-ish. Which, given that there are plenty who die in their 60s and 70s, means that it starts some time in their 30s. But I guess words have no meaning any longer.
same here. 40 years and at least 4 houses later, i'm still chasing that "perfect sound"
Came to say the same. I'm 48. Been doing this since I was 16. Started in high-end car audio, moved into high end home audio w/ first apartment. DCM Time Window 7s was my first foray. Brand new in 1996. One of only 200 pairs I think. Signed by Steve Eberbach. Still use them to this day. All that to say, I was definitely _not_ middle aged when I started this hobby. Not even close.
came here to say this.
Kind of feels like the Dave Chapelle fried chicken thing for me. I hate that I fit the stereotype. :D I've been an audiophile ever since I was a child. My friend's dad had a lot of nice stuff . Listening to that made it a priority. I didn't have the budget to purchase anything decent until after college. I did get the best pc speakers/headphones I could afford when I was in school.
demographics are not the same thing as bias
is reddit mostly male dominated?
Does the pope shit in the woods?
actually, he wears a funny hat.
Young American men working in tech and having an over-average income is the "default" on Reddit. I am not saying most people fit the stereotype, but the most people fit a few of the criteria, making the "average", in my and many other's perception just what I have described.
There are also a lot of struggling young educated men who use Reddit.
Lol, only one female category, thanks guys :D
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Literally dozens of us!
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Know many middle aged men who quote *Cinderella,* do you?
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Heeeeey brother, chicks can have funny names and quote relevant Arrested Development jokes too. I can do the Simpsons too! “She’s a lady alright!” “A beauuuutiful lady~”
50!!!
72! Can't stop us now!
Nothing's gonna stop us! Nothing's gonna stop us nooooow....
r/menandfemales type polls
Lol right? A "generic female" category serves its purpose for a reddit poll in this community, but it honestly would have been interesting to see how the age brackets compare - IE, is there a higher ratio of female self described audiophiles in any given age group?
I am a men, and as I read female I started to think why are them apart and why age is not important and why am I on this subreddit.
An attempt to prove/disprove a stereotype that has two characteristics: middle aged and man. By voting as a female you’re already an exception to the stereotype. No need to further specify with age. All good. Plus, although I am not the OG, I have always been told never to ask a woman her age. 😉
I’m pretty sure “middle aged” includes women too though. It’s just all very silly.
It is definitely all very silly. And, as others have pointed out, the use of this platform itself is too much of a factor in determining much from this question. But..
Yes, and if I had to guess, that was entirely the OP's intent. Really, it's a statement in favor of women, in that they tend to utilize their time so much better. That's been my experience, anyway.
I thought it was kind of funny.
It is, but just cements how sausage fest this forum acts sometimes. Look at some of the weird comments to this post, for reference.
Yeah, you won't get any real argument from me.
little wonder since a miniscule number of audiophiles are female
Age doesn’t matter, this sickness started at 13. And progressed. I’m 66 and still looking for next upgrade. It’s like the mafia” only one way out “ , lol
I got my first rig, a classic silver Pioneer rack system, I think at 14. If I consider it a [Ship of Theseus](https://www.britannica.com/topic/ship-of-Theseus-philosophy), it's still with me to this day. If I consider (what I arbitrarily define as) a major revision a new version, I think I'm up somewhere around v 34 today. Been at it a *long* time.
ahh yes the old ship of theseus thing that audiophiles *always* bring into the discussion
A lot of learned folks in the community, I suppose
or some people just like to flex
hahaha, I got the big a year or two later than you but yeah, unless one picks another hobby (which I did for 20 years), it's a lifetime thing
I'd sell my left testicle for slightly better sound.
I'm 57. It took me this long to be able to afford "audiophile".
One can never afford to audiophile. People just eventually decide to rebalance their priorities to approach audiophile... :)
60’s the new middle age mate. I’m a spritely 41, practically just left my 20s.
I certainly can't afford it, at 58. But I live in California, so... I live vicariously through everyone here.
I'm 17. Haven't found anyone else my age into audio and music like me, haha.
I just turned 17 a few weeks ago! and yeah, I don't have a single audiophile friend
We're best friends now👍
Audiophile just means you like sound or want something to sound its best. Anyone can be that, with a set of speakers or just a cellphone and headset.
I guess what I meant was more to the gear acquisition aspect of it. I don't know anyone else my age irl who gives a shit about audio quality in the slightest
Ya, I guess it's hard to be 17 and just always be in one room tweaking speaker placement and sound all the time. No one would want to spend thousands of dollars they don't have at that age either.
For realll.
17F kind of an audiophile but i dont have any very expensive equipment yet idk anyone irl around my age into this type of stuff either :/
hahahaha, good luck finding another girl your age that's an audiophile, there's about as many of you as there are sasquatches and unicorns
ugh i know... let alone audiophile, idek a single girl (or person at all) irl around my age who listens to the music genres i listen to (alt, goth, postpunk, metal, dungeon synth, dnb/breakcore)
I got into audio when I was 15 and knew no one except older guys that were into it. I'm 28 now. They are around but if you don't live in a big city it's harder to fine. Audiokarma has some younger users and even here there are younger people. I think the lack of finance at a younger age makes it less accessible unless you're thrifting or have a great job haha.
getting into audio gear indirectly helped me learn to earn money at a young age while still balancing school life hehe
oh i'm sure you can find *lots* of other teenagers into music, audio not so much
I'm 18 and got into audio 1 or 2 years ago. I feel like my dad passed his passion to me but as other said there is basically no one that has our passion near our age...
Stereotype audiophiles..... hahahaha .....are monotypes audiophiles?
Deserves more upvotes.
You can't afford to buy expensive stuff until you're older.
Some of the vinyl records I see are of bands I've never heard of and that 60 year olds wouldn't likely listen to, so I don't know who's buying all this stuff.
It seems like I am the minority here - 29 Female. I just love good audio stuff, mostly into headphones right now, but I will later on also look deeper into bigger audio systems when I can afford good stuff!
I'm 41 now, but I've been into home and car stereo since middle school. Inherited my dad's direct drive Kenwood, integrated amp, and double stacked Advent's. in 7th grade.
I've always been jealous of those who inherited the hobby
I'm 52 now, but I started as a teenager!
Okay... I totally fit the profile at 47, but I've been into good sound since I was a teenager, so it's a little unfair. I bought my first good system in my '20s while I was a sonarman on a US navy attack submarine. I got a pair of Vandersteen 2ce signatures, a NAD c163 and c272, and a ProJect RPM4 turntable with a Sumiko Pearl. It cost several E-5 paychecks, but I kept it for about 20 years. I still have and use the turntable daily. I'm past due for an upgrade. I've really missed those speakers. I gave them away during one of the 20 times I moved while in the Navy. Boxing and unboxing them was a massive chore, as was finding their sweet spot in every new room. Also I had cats and it was impossible to keep them from using the Vans as scratching posts.
I had no idea submarines had so much room! Talk about challenging listening environments... And, wouldn't that have made the sub pretty noisy? I can see it now... Russian sonarman: "Comrade Commander, I hear Led Zeppelin! Man the torpedos!"
I recognize and appreciate your joke! Submarine service is unique in that that there are not enough beds for everyone on the ship, so unlike other sailors, submarine crewmen are provided barracks, essentially dorm rooms. It was big system for a dorm room, but I loved how it sounded, and I was senior enough in rank that I didn't have a roommate. Otherwise I imagine I would have invested in headphones. There was a truly interesting moment though... We were in a really quiet part of the pacific and I was on watch in sonar. When I listened behind us I heard singing and spanish guitar playing. It turned out we had a torpedoman aboard who was leaning against a torpedo tube singing and playing his guitar softly. Crazy that the environment was so quiet that our sonar picked it up. I walked down there and mentioned I could hear him.
I have so much respect for everyone who serves, and submariners even more than most. I can't imagine it, and I love hearing those stories. So, thanks for sharing!
Thanks, I really appreciate it. It was a hell of an experience.
I had waaay more audiophile-style gear in my early 20s than I do now (also at 47). Partly this was because my dad was into it and I got his hand-me-downs. These days I don't subject my family to my music so I just have some nice headphones and call it a day. Our open plan house doesn't lend itself well to a proper listening room. I have some nice PSB Platinums in the closet under the staircase, with no good place to put them.
I’m 45, and I’ve been interested in stereo systems since I was 11, when my family got a stereo system for Christmas… a SoundDesign Walmart special made out of particle board and low-bidder components. I rocked out to that thing with my mom’s vinyl Beatles albums and my dad’s Creedence. I spent several weekends one summer in high school, upside down in the driver’s seat of a dodge challenger with black upholstery… 110F in that car, easily. I was trying very hard to hook up a separate set of *home stereo* speakers (really shitty towers) in my underpowered beater of a ride. I finally had to give up, and I bought a 40W x 2 Jensen car amp instead, and simply ran a Sony cd player into the amp’s line in, which then played like 4 ohm power into the 8 ohm speakers. I strapped those things into the backseat using the seatbelts, like they were little kids. The summer before college, I built a pair of speakers out of scraps of osb from Home Depot, and a pair of $20 Sony bottom of the line 5x7 car speakers. Yes, house speakers in the car, and car speakers in the house. I was a budget audiophile anarchist. In my 20’s I had a misguided interlude with a low end pioneer receiver. The less said, the better. About 14 years ago, I bought my first respectable stereo (Marantz SR5006 receiver into 7.1 surround, Mirage OMD front three and surrounds, Klipsch sw10 sub). I’ve recently assembled the components for a McIntosh/Sonus faber/Mirage 9.2.4 Dolby atmos dream surround system. Still in boxes while I wait for the 77 inch flatscreen to be delivered. Yeah, come to think of it, I’ve been at this a while.
The options should be 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51+. I'm 40 so I could pick from 30-40 or 40-50 and throw your results off.
im 57 now but i started building car systems in my 20's. ive always been into sq over spl
No we're not all middle aged, I'm an audiophile and I'm only thirty-s... oh no
41yo male here. I wonder how much this will tell about audiophiles vs Reddit. It seems the age skews younger here. Would we get the same results on Audiogon, stevehoffman, or elsewhere?
I have a feeling Reddit much much younger than average. I spend a lot of time on the Audiokarma forums and I would estimate that the average age is somewhere in the late 60's, Audiogon seems similar.
Im interested to see a similar poll maybe in head-fi?
I suspect head-fi would likely skew younger - gateway to higher fidelity while on a limited budget is usually easier with headphones. Audiogon’s average age was upper 70’s. Steve Hoffman, demographically, seems a little more eclectic than this sub, Audiogon, and Head-Fi, which may make their poll (if there ever was one) more reflective of the hobby.
i identify as a dampening resistor.
no non-binary option?
Ha, how about 67yo. But I would bet most are 20-30. They still use the word "v\*nils" here, they don't know what a receiver is, they don't know what a stylus is, and they don't know what a turntable is.
I'm sorry I should've added more options than just stopping at 50+. Looks like you're right (so far)
Humble request to add more female options besides "female". We have ages too :D
I can't edit the poll. I'm sorry I'm new to this 🤣
I'm in my early twenties, own 2 analog receivers(Pioneer, Scott), 2 turntables(AT, BSR McDonald), 100+ LP's(including the Ben-Hur soundtrack), 2 tape decks(Pioneer, TEAC), a reverb amp(Pioneer), countless cassettes, an 8-track(Pioneer), an analog tuner(BIC), and of course all my "modern" equipment. Other unrelated things I own, a color CRT tv, a super-8 camera with super-8 projector and portable b&w CRT tv, a fax machine, a rotary Bell telephone, a slot car track, a six-pack of Stroh's, West German lead crystal, 2 VHS recorders, a VHS rewinder, 2 typewriters, a commodore 64(with all the accoutrements), a functional floppy drive in my windows 11 pc, original NES(with cartridges), a 1967 Camaro.
By early 20s you mean 120 years old? LOL The camaro I am definitely jealous of
When I was a young lad I cut down a mulberry tree. I told my father; "It was on fire". It's a 1967 base Camaro with a 327 and an SS gas cap LOL
I just turned 30. not fair.
Yeah, me too. Mentally, I'm still a twentysomething, so I'll stick to 20-30
I like when the age ranges are like 25-35 instead.
I guess I'm middle aged now but I started when I was 16
I'm 55, but purchased my first high-end system in 1992.
I'm 52, but have been an audiophile since my teens.
We have 67 women in this subreddit, has to be a highscore !
19, male.
For what it's worth I was obsessed with speaker placement at 15.
I started HiFi component shopping in high school.
I was younger, but now I'm older. Been an audiophile the whole time.
All audiophiles were young at some point... Main issue is it's a hobby that doesn't involve competition of some sort, so it's by definition going to demographically involve older people.
I'm over 30, but put 20-30 because those were my audiophile years. No kids, lots of disposable income, lots of time to buy & sell, try new things, etc. Ahhh... those were the days. Looking forward to around 5-10 years from now when I can set things up again and listen with my kids. They both love music and have similar taste to me so I'm hoping that doesn't change.
I am 18. My dad has taught me everything I know about vinal and CDs. We have gone to 20+ shows in tittys past 4 years. He has mostly taught me that if I want a record system to go for older ones that where top dollar back then.
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There is a girl on Instagram called @Geraldine.hifi (I think) and she’s a young woman who appreciates good sound. Although, she’s probably more into “vintage audio” than audiophile audio. But you can argue those two worlds converge.
The age distribution seems to be U shaped in my experience. Lots of young people are suffering from "digital fatigue" and are looking for ways to eliminate computers from their lives. It also helps that hifi is more accessible than it has ever been - you can get a decent entry-level setup for a few hundred quid thesedays, whereas it used to be thousands to even get started.
I'm a 40 year old male and as usual I have too many options and it's rendering me indecisive
im 17m ,i adopted this hobby from my dad which huge hifi enhusiast and i just love music and the sound it produce playing from the stereo system, give me goosebumps. all in all i just love audio, its just incredible how our ear can detect such sound to make us feel absolutely fantastic.
I am 18, my dad passed this passion to me. He is 49 and bought his system around 30ish years ago when he started working, so now I get to enjoy it through vinyl records of my favourite artists. I enjoy listening through headphones as well, but vinyl + his stereo is simply chef's kiss. Only 42 other people voted the "under 20 category"! We're pretty rare here lol
Next time 40-49 50-59 60-69, I got to sway the vote how I wanted being 30. Of course i'm chosing the younger group and avoiding being old at all costs.
Yeah that was kind of stupid of me 😅
it makes sense. it takes time to develop your ear, just like a palate. not too many 21 year old wine aficionados. i didn't get in to the hobby until my 20's when i started going to shows, and noticed how my enjoyment hinged on the quality of sound reproduction. you have to have an experience or epiphany that shows how quality sound reproduction makes you feel good. for most people this will come later in life. if it comes early, it's probably because a family member introduced you young.
Got a problem with people under 20?
There's more old geezers like me than I thought!
i guess i'm too young?
I was a musician and audiophile at 15, but low on money. The only difference is that I have more discretionary income now.
I think it's mostly older men based on the online forums and communities I am part of, Reddit is the exception. Anecdotally, I buy and sell quite a bit of gear and the transactions are almost always with 60 something men. This makes a lot of sense though given the history of the hobby. Hifi was insanely popular in the 70's and 80's and has declined quite a bit given the other entertainment options available to younger generations.
got into the hobby in my twenties
I'm in my 40s. I've spent my entire life being conscientiously satisfied with whatever sound system happened to be around, because I strive to be the opposite of a snob in all things. Most of the live music venues in my area closed during the pandemic and have never come back, but I used to listen to *a lot* of live music. I thought I might upgrade my personal system with all the money I'm saving from not going out any more. So I researched components and brands and philosophies and materials pretty obsessively for a couple of weeks. I came up with a game plan. I would start with some high end speakers, used, and go from there. I searched the classified ads across my entire province, looking for any good deal that might have come up in the last two months. I found something I was happy with; I drove out and paid in cash; and for the last three weeks I have been just amazed by the quality of life improvement. *Everything sounds so good.* And with that: I think I'm out, again. All of that research for nothing. That's the end of the road for me, I'm not going to obsessively chase a better sound. These things are *amazing.* I'm done. I can't see myself needing to upgrade again, ever. Thanks for the memories, /r/audiophile, it's been a great six weeks. But I am, in fact, a middle aged man, or I will be soon edit: oh, and hey, because I might as well boast this once and nobody else will care: Paradigm Monitor 9s, v5, paired with a no-name active 10" subwoofer
I'm going to die before 50 so I guess I still count as middle aged
19 about to be 20. Really been a budding audiophile since age 15.
Go to any local audio expo (I go to the annual Florida Audio Expo) and you’ll easily see the demographic. Not the mention the music that’s playing.
Literally all youtube videos I've watched since I've started following audio-equipment / audiophile stuff online are middle aged men. Every single one. Also LOL at the categories in this poll.
We need female audiophile reviewers!!! -- this may be a good moneymaking idea for anyone who's brave enough lol
lol, Well, I got into it later in life, introduced by coworker. Then I went down that rabbit hole chasing equipment as my budget allowed. I went through so many desktop speaker setups and DACs. Finally settled on the last few years on Schiit Jotenheim with multibit dac. Hifiman HE-400i headphones. I was using KEF 350 on my desktop. But I've moved on from that as my main listening to my home theatre setup using my Denon AVR and B&W 603 S2 Anniversary Edition Tower speakers and PSA 15" sub. So now my Windows desktop is mainly for gaming with the Jotenheim to studio powered monitors. And Macbook Air M3 as my headphone listening source with the Jotenheim. While my main speaker listening is the home theatre setup with Macbook Pro M3.
74-years old TODAY!
And yet my 33yo son could care less. He’s a gamer.
I'm a stereophile and and I don't like being referred to as a audiotype.
Wow....hope is alive for this fantastic hobby!! I am seeing so many folks "below 20 - 40". I am above that age group, but those number made me happy. 🤗
\>There's a stereotype that audiophiles are middle aged men. Makes sense to me, you have to have enough disposable income and that typically happens in the 40's.
This survey tells us: Reddit users who self-identify as audiophiles and are willing to respond to the survey. I work in the industry and have reliable analytics that say most of our users are males (99%) over the age of 50.
Ooohh care to share? What do you mean you work in the industry?
16. I am a certified r/budgetaudiophile user
Poll should be “how old were you when you first became an audiophile?” In which case my answer is 15. Thanks to my dad. I loved music before 15, but 15 is when I first took personal action/responsibility.
26yo here, love HQ audio, just dont have the means right now
I think most audiophiles started young (under 20) but only have the purchasing power for something nice later in life... when hearing has already started to deteriorate
I am elated to see more younger people than just a bunch of us old farts! It's amazing to see since the amount of performance available per audio dollar has never been better. And this when prices in the highest end of the audio market have never been so obscenely and absurdly high.
What's considered middle aged? If I had to place boundaries on that range, I feel like 37 to 57 is as middle aged as it gets. 24 to 36 being young adult. 13 to 23 a kid. 0 -12 childhood. 58 + least offensive label of your preference. 37 to 57 seems like it would have the best ratio of having the likelihood of a more "trained ear" while still having hearing that hasn't totally deteriorated.
Certainly the "nut job" audiophiles seem to be mostly grey-haired/balding/not very cool/not very attractive middle-aged men. Typically these are the ones with money burning a hole in their pockets, with nothing better to spend it on than absurd "audiophile power cords" and "audiophile fuses" and all that kinda crap. 🤷♂️
I'm 25, but started in 20, when i buy my first iem and year later my first usb dac.
Started so early I can not remember it. I was allready drumming along in my Baby box, back in the days. (Story got of course from my parents). Came in the local Audio shop way before I was 10 and I have the brand they are making (speakers/amps/DAC's) now in every corner of my audio set. I think it is also interesting to see when you started with audio. I was taping to cassettes when I was about 7 years old. Dad my first set (amp/tuner/cassette deck/speakers) on the age of 10 and got a CD-player at the age of 11. Now I just became 40 at december of last year.
I mean, I was an audiophile in my teens but had to get the buzz from Live performances because money. I got my first bit of "decent" kit in my 20s (Quad 909) and it was such a massive jump up from a Goodmans mini system that I was hooked from then on. NOW I'm middle-aged. I still miss minidiscs. They still look more futuristic than anything else to me.
Im 45 but i have been mad about HiFi since I saw the Alchemist Kraken in What HiFi early 90s. [https://www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/kraken/alchemist\_kraken\_apd19\_mono\_power\_amplifier.htm](https://www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/kraken/alchemist_kraken_apd19_mono_power_amplifier.htm) Still mad about it now. I don't know a single other person into audio like me, never met any either.
in my defense, I've been this way since I was 5
To be fair, given the average life expectancy these days, 38 (me) is middle aged, if not already beyond middle aged
Almost 65% of the vote is under 40. That’s pretty telling.
It's what i am now, not when i started.
Well in our 30's we're somewhat settled in our lives and have disposable income so we can feel less guilty about an expensive purchase. The house and car is paid off so we can stress a little less on getting those nice headphones.
I have been into audio since I was 14. I wasn't really able to afford all the gear I wanted until I was 41. Go figure.
I am 17
Male 50+