In your post the most important thing you say is this:
"My sytem is not top of the line, but aIm happy with it".
Nothing more needs to be said. You are to be commended for having the self confidence to form your own opinion and not be unduly influenced by others. By contrast, it appears that your friends need to be told what is best for them. They should arrive at this through independent judgment, although there is nothing wrong with the local audio guru offering his opinion, which may then be accepted or rejected.
I think that the brands which your friends used to have, and the brands which they now have, are all excellent. It isn't that they're being sold junk. It would be unfortunate, however, if the upgrade money they spent was due to the influence of the guru, rather than due to their own preference.
If somebody says that what they sell is the best, and all other brands are junk, take it with a grain of salt. The guy doesn't make money by directing potential customers to brands sold by other retailers. Also, he may truly believe himself that what he carries is tops. That doesn't mean that others have to agree. Always form your own opinion. Equipment can be quite different and what is best for one person may not be the best to another. If there was one absolute "best", everybody would buy it and all other brands would be out of business. Obviously this is not the case.
"My sytem is not top of the line, but aIm happy with it".
Nothing more needs to be said. You are to be commended for having the self confidence to form your own opinion and not be unduly influenced by others. By contrast, it appears that your friends need to be told what is best for them. They should arrive at this through independent judgment, although there is nothing wrong with the local audio guru offering his opinion, which may then be accepted or rejected.
I think that the brands which your friends used to have, and the brands which they now have, are all excellent. It isn't that they're being sold junk. It would be unfortunate, however, if the upgrade money they spent was due to the influence of the guru, rather than due to their own preference.
If somebody says that what they sell is the best, and all other brands are junk, take it with a grain of salt. The guy doesn't make money by directing potential customers to brands sold by other retailers. Also, he may truly believe himself that what he carries is tops. That doesn't mean that others have to agree. Always form your own opinion. Equipment can be quite different and what is best for one person may not be the best to another. If there was one absolute "best", everybody would buy it and all other brands would be out of business. Obviously this is not the case.