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Author: Giorgio Pozzoli - TNT-Audio Italy
Published: October, 2026

Introduction

Just a few weeks ago, our editor Lucio published some traffic analytics regarding our Facebook page. The mere fact that we are still on FB speaks volumes about certain demographic details that I find far preferable to gloss over; however, the article's content was, on one hand, depressing, and on the other, quite disheartening.

When Lucio subsequently asked if I would write an observational feature on a brief visit I made a few days ago to a Hi-Fi show, I tried to back out - not so much due to the gruelling labour of the task, but rather to spare you yet another painful, yet inevitable realization: in case you hadn't noticed yet,

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Everything Changes

For a good portion of our lives, we tend to assume that the realities we know are immutable. Yet this is far from true: people and human endeavours change, just as nature itself changes (one need only look at the state of glaciers or mountain landslides).

Lately, while walking around my city, I find myself reflecting on how many "cherished spots" of all kinds have vanished: sports shops, high-fidelity dealers, model shops, clothing stores, book stores, even supermarkets that one frequented at one stage of life or another. Naturally, after all these years, the owners have likely passed away decades ago. Still, that doesn't make it any less unsettling.

Returning to our topic, some of these vanished landmarks were the various high-fidelity trade shows.

My journey began in the mists of time with SIM (Salone Internazionale della Musica), which later became SIM-HiFi and eventually SIM-HiFi-IVES. My memory of it is somewhat hazy, dominated by a general chaos of Hi-Fi gear intermingled with musical instruments. The only vivid image that remains is coming across the AR 90 series - perhaps because I had recently purchased a system featuring AR17s, a significant outlay for a student at the time. Those were the golden years of high fidelity; Italy hosted numerous showcases, such as "Il Suono" in Rome or "RIAF" in Florence.

The event I remember best, however, is undoubtedly the Top Audio Show. Established in 1988, it evolved into Top Audio & Video in 1998, before meeting an untimely demise in 2013.

By the late 1990s, having recently joined the TNT team, the Top Audio Show was a true celebration for me. Among other things, it was at Top Audio that I met our Megagalactic - nay, Universal - Editor-in-Chief. I would take a day off work and show up on Friday morning in a parking lot packed with cars and mosquitoes under a typical Po Valley sky: stifling heat paired with a sun shrouded in humidity.

I would then roam the rooms, almost always in the company of a few TNT friends and, on rare occasions, the aforementioned Editor. Excitement was at its peak. Looking back, I wonder whether it was due to the gear on display, the prospect of meeting friends, or the feeling of being part of something larger, despite my pronounced individualism.

The crowd was diverse: enthusiasts of virtually all ages queued at the entrance and waited patiently for their turn. While the majority of visitors were likely middle-aged, there was also a notable youth presence.

There were numerous listening rooms, though precious few actually sounded good. Then again, how can one properly evaluate a component within an unfamiliar system, an unknown acoustic environment, and an unfamiliar music selection - often from a non-ideal listening seat, and with exhibitors talking to visitors in the background? The choice of programme material was also frequently questionable, rarely highlighting the best aspects of the system under review. It was usually possible to request a track from one's own CD, but the variables remained overwhelming.

The inaugural Top Audio edition ran concurrently with SIM-HiFi-IVES. To distinguish itself from the latter, it positioned itself as an Ultra High-End show; indeed, many products carried exorbitant price tags. Granted, it was a showcase - and a luxury showcase at that - but for the average enthusiast, living with the constant background thought of "Yes, it’s all lovely, but I’ll never be able to afford it" was hardly satisfying.

And yet, there was a tangible atmosphere of enthusiasm, fun, and genuine interest... at least until mid-afternoon, when fatigue inevitably took over the visitors' faces.

And what has changed today?

First and foremost, the weather: the sun is much brighter, humidity is lower, and while it is slightly warmer, it feels more comfortable overall—all thanks to global warming, no doubt...

The vacuum left by Top Audio has been filled by smaller events. In Milan, these are primarily the now-established Milano Hi-Fidelity and the Gran Galà dell'Alta Fedeltà.

Recently, after several years away, I attended one of these events. The excitement of the past was entirely gone - vanished, evaporated. My motivation to go had dwindled to absolute zero. I chose the most convenient option, one that didn't require driving across the entire city, and the closest to my home - "so as not to waste time"!

There were quite a few exhibitors, perhaps more than in the recent past, which - given the concurrent staging of the competing show - surprised me quite a bit.

At the last few events I attended, I noticed that sonic quality had largely homogenized: no room sounded stellar, but almost all sounded tediously decent. I observed the exact same phenomenon here: coming across a genuinely terrible system felt like a rare occurrence, almost a relief—proof that a little variety still exists in this world!

One aspect that appears unchanged is the race to quote the most astronomical price. I have no idea how many nabobs are out there, let alone how many attend these events, but the fact remains that certain price points are even more out of touch than they used to be - especially considering they often attach to obscure brands of uncertain long-term support. In fact, it's a pity some exhibitors didn't overhear a fairly young attendee who, upon looking at the price tag of a speaker fitted with an odd mushroom-shaped tweeter mounted on top, remarked: "That's the speaker, and the thing on top is the anti-theft device." And its price was less than a quarter of other items on display...

Nevertheless, attendance was high - far higher than I had anticipated. Visitors packed the small demo rooms to capacity as usual, listening to whatever happened to be playing under conditions that were far from ideal.

Yet, the core issue lies with the attendees themselves. The average age was high - substantially higher than during the Top Audio era - and young people were noticeably scarce.

What left me even more bewildered, however, was the total absence of excitement or engagement. With vacant expressions, visitors appeared tired before even crossing the threshold, wandering aimlessly from room to room. They looked as though they were asking themselves, "What do these exhibitors actually want? Is this really all there is? Why did I even come?"

Truth be told, this attitude seemed far more prevalent among those attending solo: if you've never tried it, you have no idea how tedious it can be. Yet even those roaming in groups carried a stunned, glassy-eyed look that inspired little optimism.

A matter of age? That would be somewhat concerning, given that many were certainly younger than me. On the other hand, I have no doubt that I was sporting the exact same expression...

What struck me as truly serious, however, was the complete absence of a younger demographic. Granted, the prices of the equipment on display are utterly absurd for a young person; but equally, very few visitors of any age can actually afford the mammoth systems on show. I fear, therefore, that the underlying reasons run much deeper.

The world of high fidelity - or rather, mass-market music playback (assuming it can still be defined as such) - is undergoing a fundamental paradigm shift. Stereos haven't functioned as status symbols in our part of the world for several decades. Sound quality, now largely taken for granted, has been superseded or augmented by convenience, portability, and cost-effectiveness.

Regarding quality, two specific factors deserve consideration. First, in my youth, attending live classical or jazz performances was far more common, even among young people, and rock was regarded as a legitimate art form on par with classical music. This drove a desire for more accurate sound reproduction in the home. Second, the baseline performance of average audio equipment has reached levels unimaginable years ago; it is hardly surprising, then, that consumers without a dedicated interest in technology or fine sound settle for what they already have.

Furthermore, today's youth are far more mobile than previous generations. They relocate across cities, countries, and continents with ease and naturalness, whereas such moves were once considered quite radical. Consequently, a stationary Hi-Fi system is likely perceived as entirely alien - even a burden that hinders mobility. Additionally, many young people are forced to live in rented rooms or small apartments where there is simply no space for a traditional set-up.

Finally, the brick-and-mortar buying experience, with its illusory reassurance of an audition, has been displaced by online purchasing, driven by broader selection and lower prices.

Everything really has changed.

Conclusion

Can anything be done to attract younger generations? Given the premises outlined above, I am not convinced it is possible unless manufacturers radically alter their approach.

Here too, as in so many other sectors, Chinese manufacturers are proving to be at the forefront. It would be fascinating to analyze Chinese audio import data correlated with buyer age. Obtaining such figures is likely impossible, but I wouldn't be surprised if the results yielded a few surprises.

On the other hand, at the show I attended, there were a couple of rooms set up for headphone listening, and the listening stations were occupied by young people. Perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope after all...

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© Copyright 2026 Giorgio Pozzoli - giorgio@tnt-audio.com - www.tnt-audio.com

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