From the article:
Frankly, I think the best thing to happen to high-end audio was the internet. It moved high-end out of the snooty specialty shops in large cities and made it more acccessible to the masses who were interested. The fact that I can read about an interesting vintage component and then find one used online, try it out, and then, if it isn't for me, sell it for what I paid, is a godsend. At worst, I'm out shipping in most cases and I can get a lot of experience with different equipment while meeting local audiophiles along the way...
...and "most people" can't tell the difference between their ipod on someone's sweet vinyl rig. I say "big deal" and "who cares?" There's nothing wrong with the people that don't care. As an example, many of my friends know far more than I ever care to about gourmet food and I know more about hi-fi sound than they care to know. Is one of us wrong?
Admittedly, we could get in trouble if studios stopped producing decent-quality recordings for us to listen to in the first place, but that really wasn't the point of the article and isn't something I have seen much evidence of to date. If that actually happens, then yes, the end is near for our dear hobby.