Consumers have voted a resounding "yes" to digital music downloads, cranking up sales on portable MP3 players well beyond any expectation. Propelled by Apple Computer's trend-setting iPod players, in 2004 portable MP3 players based on flash media and hard-drive storage more than doubled unit volumes to just less than 7 million and nearly tripled revenues to $1.2 billion. As players grow less expensive, smaller, sleeker and more functional, growth is expected to remain strong throughout 2005 for both MP3 players and combination CD/MP3 portables. CEA projects unit sales of 10 million, on revenues of $1.6 billion. These sales are fueling purchases of accompanying adapters, docks, portable speakers, chargers and carrying cases.

Voracious audiophiles and budding home studio aficionados alike are keyed into a variety of accessories that help augment their audio experience. They are upgrading their cables and power line conditioners to cut down on potential white noise and other disturbance in their audiovisual systems and have the potential to push the pedal in the markets for headphones, microphones, remote controls and other home-studio accessories.

Additionally, they are purchasing large XP cables to connect high-resolution speakers to A/V and home theater systems or coaxial digital cable to connect audio from their portable players to their home entertainment systems. The trend in "whole-house" audio – with sound wired into multiple rooms in the house – continues to open the market for audio distribution cabling and connectors.