I think, in general, it's difficult to have an appreciation for something when you do not have any idea of what it takes to make assemble or get to that point.
We could be talking about any topic... but we're talking about audio so if you have no context by which to grade the audio or system you might hear, it's no surprise there was no reaction to the equipment.
Even when I was young, it was more about what was being played as topposed to what it was being played upon. I also think it can be unfair to think that all "youth" do not have the appreciation... certainly as a blanket statement it is not a truism.
Who knows, perhaps someday your visitor might have a flashback to tyat day and ask... "whatever happened to those sleaker you used to have ?"