Female audiophiles on YouTube, sign the audiophile community could be becoming more diverse?

[BobbyTimmons]

Looking on YouTube perhaps things are changing and the audiophile community is becoming more diverse than some of our forums give the impression of? On YouTube there are some female audiophiles. At least they are less rare than the Loch Ness monster.

 

[IAtaman]

First video talks about gears for 10 minutes straight... yeah that sounds like "audiophile" alright.
Second video seems to me more focused on music then the gear actually, so not sure if she qualifies.

 

[AdamG]

 

[kemmler3D]

The more the merrier, I say. Get more audiophiles into the tent, we can get them excited about spinoramas and blind tests later.

For the purposes of keeping gatekeeping to the minimum practical level, I would personally say anyone that cares about audio / gear enough to have a full discussion about it qualifies.

If someone is simply a music lover, good for them and by all means let's not pollute their mind with all that audiophile crap.

I think the real question raised here is - are we nattering busybodies of the audio world present enough in "modern" social media like Youtube, Tiktok*, etc? My uninformed impression is that the subjectivists are running wild over there, but if anyone is getting the youth interested in sound, it's them. Who's the younger, youtube-y Amir for the Gen Z and younger crowd? Anyone?

*I'd rather eat a live rattlesnake than start using TikTok so don't look at me.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

I think the real question raised here is - are we nattering busybodies of the audio world present enough in "modern" social media like Youtube, Tiktok*, etc? My uninformed impression is that the subjectivists are running wild over there, but if anyone is getting the youth interested in sound, it's them. Who's the younger, youtube-y Amir for the Gen Z and younger crowd? Anyone?

*I'd rather eat a live rattlesnake than start using TikTok so don't look at me.

Audiophiles are dying out and becoming less than a percentage point of the population. We have these debates between 'subjectivists' and 'objectivists'. The sad reality is at the current rate both sides of the debate will be going the way of the dodo in a generation or two. The primary experience most youngsters have with music are the fuzzy sounds coming from social media apps on their phones. Many of them have never heard music from a good system or been to a record shop. We need to get people back into listening to music. Maybe there are some hopeful signs that audiophilia could stage a comeback.

 

[IAtaman]

Nah, there will never be shortage of people with disposable income wanting to spend money on things that does not really matter that much.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

Nah, there will never be shortage of people with disposable income wanting to spend money on things that does not really matter that much.

There will always be people with disposable income if economic conditions allow it. Just they will probably spend it on something different like smartphones or whatever is the next trend if none of the younger generation currently growing up are exposed to the enjoyments of hi fi.

 

[IAtaman]

There will always be people with disposable income if economic conditions allow it. Just they will probably spend it on something different like smartphones or whatever is the next trend if none of the younger generation currently growing up are exposed to the enjoyments of hi fi.

I hear you. But I am not so sure. Sound is one of our core senses, I think it will always be important to people. Of course I do realize I say this as a member of an audio forum, so maybe not the most objective view out there

What I might agree will be different is that all that nitty gritty details that we worry about such as having enough amplification headroom, and maintaining the spacial cues in the recording and not allowing the room effects to drown them, and target tunings and variations among people etc - all that will be taken care of by the electronics designed by very smart people probably, and all that is left to us will be to listen. Then, we will be true audiophiles

 

[Waxx]

Audiophiles are dying out and becoming less than a percentage point of the population. We have these debates between 'subjectivists' and 'objectivists'. The sad reality is at the current rate both sides of the debate will be going the way of the dodo in a generation or two. The primary experience most youngsters have with music are the fuzzy sounds coming from social media apps on their phones. Many of them have never heard music from a good system or been to a record shop. We need to get people back into listening to music. Maybe there are some hopeful signs that audiophilia could stage a comeback.

I would not say that. It's not that the majority of the youngsters is busy with good sound, but there is surely a few subcultures that does. But they are not on fora like these, that is for old people. They are on Redit, Discord or similar systems or on their social media, and have their own discussions. And many go buy vinyl to play on their systems. The vinyl buying public is not only the older audiophiles, it's mainly the younger music lovers who think streaming is background music, vinyl is active listening in high quality. It's also a way to dfferentiate yourself from "the mainstream" to have a good soundsystem and vinyl records in stead of an iphone (or other phone) and spotify...

And the rather ruthless comments of many here does also not make a site like this acceptable for many of the younger ones. It makes it a place where old people complaint "about everything that is not like them", even if it's not in reality. Many read this site, but don't have an account because of that. The arrogance of many elder "audiophile" is something they think is very annoying, and the endless flamewars and personal attacks also. This site is not the worst at all in this, but still enough to keep many away.

But it's true the classic audiophile scene is dying out, it's just replaced by an other scene as generations come and go. Their platforms are different, they dont come to the classic audioshows or so, but they do exist and are larger than most here think.

 

[kemmler3D]

Audiophiles are dying out and becoming less than a percentage point of the population. We have these debates between 'subjectivists' and 'objectivists'. The sad reality is at the current rate both sides of the debate will be going the way of the dodo in a generation or two. The primary experience most youngsters have with music are the fuzzy sounds coming from social media apps on their phones. Many of them have never heard music from a good system or been to a record shop. We need to get people back into listening to music. Maybe there are some hopeful signs that audiophilia could stage a comeback.

I don't know if this is true. To me this sounds like the same The demographics of forums like this and hi-fi shows definitely suggest a lack of "new blood" and decline, sure.

However, this thread started with some younger female youtuber audiophiles. Where did they come from if the whole category is seriously dying out?

And my point was that there seems to be a healthy contingent of budding audiophiles on Reddit, youtube, etc. They're mostly keen on IEMs for budget reasons, but if history is any guide they'll graduate to bigger and better systems once / if they have the means.

On the quantitative side, audio equipment sales are mostly holding steady and/or growing year over year.

Gen Z is rediscovering CD and "vintage" iPods (yes, really) the same way Millennials "rediscovered" vinyl and cassette tapes.

So, I think the audiophile world is definitely shifting and changing. But I am not sure it's dying. Brick and mortar retail, shows, audiophile print magazines and so on, are dying out. However, we now have something of a renaissance of amateur (but expert) reviewers online, (not just Amir but your crinacles and Erins are doing good work), online discussion fora, and online retail is as strong as ever, with arguably more good options available to the average consumer than ever. So I think it would be premature to give a grim prognosis to "the hobby". It doesn't look like "the hobby" of yore but I believe at least a solid minority of people still want good equipment to listen to music with.

Case in point, when I was doing market research at my consumer audio employer, invariably the #1 criterion people identified as driving purchases in audio: Sound quality. These were not self-described audiophiles, it was anyone who bought any audio equipment of any kind.

So the task is not to convince people sound quality is the most important thing about a speaker or headphone, virtually everyone is on board with that. The task is to show people just how good sound can be, and how to access it.

 

[Anton D]

Audiophiles are dying out and becoming less than a percentage point of the population. We have these debates between 'subjectivists' and 'objectivists'. The sad reality is at the current rate both sides of the debate will be going the way of the dodo in a generation or two. The primary experience most youngsters have with music are the fuzzy sounds coming from social media apps on their phones. Many of them have never heard music from a good system or been to a record shop. We need to get people back into listening to music. Maybe there are some hopeful signs that audiophilia could stage a comeback.

In the 60's, kids listened to portable AM radio and many managed to find Hi Fi.

In the 70's, kids listened to 8-tracks and many managed to find Hi Fi.

In the early 80's, kids listened to cassettes and many found their way to Hi Fi.

Whatever the current methods are that kids use to access "fuzzy" sounding music will still be associated with a certain number finding their way to Hi Fi.

When they are old enough they, too, will find ways to bitch at eat other about the best way to deliver that music, as well, just like we do.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Let's hope the community is nurturing for these women. I'd hate to see them being made to feel unwelcome the way the "gamer" boys made women unwelcome in their subculture a few years back. The audiophile community is too small to be anything but inclusive of anyone who wants to join and make a contribution.

 

[Leejb1970]

Bugger that. They're already invading our football coverage in the UK.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

I would not say that. It's not that the majority of the youngsters is busy with good sound, but there is surely a few subcultures that does. But they are not on fora like these, that is for old people. They are on Redit, Discord or similar systems or on their social media, and have their own discussions. And many go buy vinyl to play on their systems. The vinyl buying public is not only the older audiophiles, it's mainly the younger music lovers who think streaming is background music, vinyl is active listening in high quality. It's also a way to dfferentiate yourself from "the mainstream" to have a good soundsystem and vinyl records in stead of an iphone (or other phone) and spotify...

And the rather ruthless comments of many here does also not make a site like this acceptable for many of the younger ones. It makes it a place where old people complaint "about everything that is not like them", even if it's not in reality. Many read this site, but don't have an account because of that. The arrogance of many elder "audiophile" is something they think is very annoying, and the endless flamewars and personal attacks also. This site is not the worst at all in this, but still enough to keep many away.

But it's true the classic audiophile scene is dying out, it's just replaced by an other scene as generations come and go. Their platforms are different, they dont come to the classic audioshows or so, but they do exist and are larger than most here think.

I hope so. I don't know anyone who has a separate system apart from myself.

 

[Somafunk]

Bugger that. They're already invading our football coverage in the UK.

Poor little Joey Barton , his mum needs to give him a clip round the ear and sent to his bed

 

[Anton D]

Bugger that. They're already invading our football coverage in the UK.

Instantly raised the average IQ by 15 points!

 

[Keith_W]

I watched that first video, and it was really tedious. It was mostly about twiddling basic knobs and controls. She doesn't explain why she chose any of the equipment apart from "super neat because of its mid-century design". Later, she talks about some other pieces that are not plugged in, but are for decoration. If the presenter was a male, we wouldn't be giving him a free pass. He would receive the same treatment as that Quebec audiophile did in this thread. Come to think of it, I wonder what ASR would say if that Quebec audiophile happened to be female. Would the response be different? And if it is, why should it be?

 

[Middle Earth]

I don‘t care who makes the content if I find it useful or even entertaining

 

[BobbyTimmons]

I watched that first video, and it was really tedious. It was mostly about twiddling basic knobs and controls. She doesn't explain why she chose any of the equipment apart from "super neat because of its mid-century design". Later, she talks about some other pieces that are not plugged in, but are for decoration. If the presenter was a male, we wouldn't be giving him a free pass. He would receive the same treatment as that Quebec audiophile did in this thread. Come to think of it, I wonder what ASR would say if that Quebec audiophile happened to be female. Would the response be different? And if it is, why should it be?

Maybe it should be different when only about 1% of the audiophile community is female. It's like we need to widen our tent.

 

[Keith_W]

Maybe it should be different when only about 1% of the audiophile community is female. It's like we need to widen our tent.

Why? Anybody can become an audiophile. It's not the same as equal employment, equal access to education and services, or any area where discrimination exists. We can't impose a quota for female audiophiles for e.g. in the same way you can impose a quota on employment, migration, college enrolment, and so on. There are no barriers to entry. I don't think we are the same as that awful misogynistic "gamer" community (at least, I hope not!). It is a hobby, and if they were interested, they would participate.