[zx10guy]

Not sure what products you are comparing and what your definition of high quality is, but high end products are definitely not disappearing. The ones that seem to have problems are in the middle niche that straddles between consumer and lower high end.

There are plenty of companies which I got to know when I got into being a "phile" in the late 80s that are still around. Companies like Krell, Audio Research, Wilson Audio, Meridian, Martin Logan, Mark Levinson, Theta Digital, Wadia, B&W, VPI, Bryston, to name just a few. The differences are there compared to mass market if one cares about the differences. It's all about priorities. The analogy can be compared to driving a Prius versus an M car. Both will get you to the same destination. But yet both provide a different level of experience to the driver. An example of the quality one gets with higher end equipment is in the construction and components used. An example of this is my Bryston 6B-ST 3 channel amp. The thing is built like a tank. Weighs about 90lbs. Every amp made by Bryston, including mine, goes through a 24 hour burn in where the amp is driven at full power the entire time. If the amp survives this QA test, then it gets a pass. This is why Bryston amps have a 20 year warranty. Don't know of any mass market product/manufacturer which has anything close to this level of QA and warranty.

Hopefully people will realize the demise of physical digital media is going to make things worse overall for the consumer and we'll see the resurgence of optical media just like we're seeing a revival of vinyl.