My Generation: Why Hi-Fi Brands Are Chasing the Wrong Buyers

This generation is defined as being born between 1997 and 2012, making them 13 to 28 years old in 2025. They're the first to grow up with full internet and digital everything, and are often referred to as "digital natives" – so it seems logical that they should be the future of the hi-fi industry. "How do we build products that appeal to them?" or "Why don't we bring in influencers as ambassadors that connect with this audience?" are the questions being asked by marketing professionals – and have been for just short of a decade now.

However, the reality is that Gen Z faces bigger problems in this vast, complex, and intimidating world. Twenty-somethings are facing unprecedented financial pressures that – according to experts – are reshaping how this generation manages its money, lives, and sets long-term goals.

I'm a Xennial (born in 1978) and was brought up on traditional values – school, university, car, marriage, house, and family, generally in that order. I didn't own any real hi-fi gear of my own until my mid-thirties, despite being immersed in audio, studio, and live production since the age of fifteen. Only then was I in a position to invest in quality gear (entry-to-mid-level, by today's standards), and more importantly, I had settled into a home of my own and appreciated life slowing down a bit.

For young Australians, the median annual full-time salary is $61,896, while part-time workers earn a median of $30,914. From that, 32% is spent on housing, 9% on food at home (though this is increasing rapidly with the rise of food delivery services), 8% on dining out (for a 17% total on food), 6% on household goods (furnishings and daily necessities), leaving approximately half their budget for "other", which includes transport, entertainment, clothing, and miscellaneous spending.

This leaves, in round numbers, around $30,000 (full-time) and $15,000 (part-time) per year, available for all other expenses. Somewhere in that, it's expected that they will part with their hard-earned money for hi-fi and home entertainment products – after they've bought the latest iPhone, Apple Watch, MacBook, and paid for all their music and video streaming services.

In contrast to the above, those in their forties in 2025, defined as Millennials and Gen X, have a median annual salary in Australia of around $95,000. Housing comes in at a lower rate of 22%, total food at 15%, 5% on household goods, for a balance of 58%, or $55,100 left over and available for all other expenses.

This is obviously very generalised, and forty-somethings are more likely to have dependents and other expenses associated with later life stages, but they're also in their prime earning years. And while as an industry we're quick to criticise the Boomer 1 and 2 generations, their disposable income is significantly higher again.

So while we all want to boast that the latest hi-fi show "attracted twenty-somethings" and a "younger audience", are they actually spending and buying? I recently had a conversation with a manufacturer who sells direct, who boasted that they sent a product for review to a well-known influencer, which attracted more than 200,000 views on their video review. I asked them how many sales they achieved, and they coughed and sputtered an answer I expected – "one". In other words, the younger audience loves to watch, but not to spend.

So, as an industry, are we focusing too much on tomorrow's problems and not enough on today's buyers? They are here and ready to spend right now. At StereoNET's recent Melbourne Hi-Fi & AV Show – the biggest yet in its history – the crowd was unquestionably dominated by those in their forties. This was not by chance, but by design. Our publication's largest demographic is individuals aged 40-55 years old, and our reach extends to millions globally. We also specifically targeted the show's digital marketing to this age demographic. Why? Because these are the buyers!

By all accounts, more business was conducted at this show and in the weeks following than at any of our previous shows since 2016, despite being held during financially challenging times. Make of that what you will. The point is that, of course, we should certainly consider future generations of our audience and the products being offered to them. But let's solve that problem tomorrow, and not lose sight of the customers of today in the process.

The hi-fi industry stands at a crossroads. While chasing the elusive Gen Z demographic, which has limited disposable income and competing financial priorities, we risk alienating the very customers who are ready, willing – and financially capable of – investing in quality audio equipment today.

The mathematics are undeniable, then. A forty-something with $55,100 in discretionary income represents a fundamentally different market opportunity than a twenty-something with $30,000 total remaining after basic living expenses. Yet our industry continues to pour resources into demographic segments that watch but don't buy. At the same time, the established market – those in their prime earning years who have both the means and the life stability to appreciate quality audio – waits patiently for products and marketing that speak to their reality. The most successful businesses in any industry understand a fundamental truth: you build tomorrow's market share with today's revenue.

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