Perhaps we should stick with midfi...

I think we have all been there at one time or another. I think it is psychlogical. When listening to an inexpensive midfi system we don't expect much from it, so we relax and just enjoy the music. When we listen to a $60,000 system our expectations are high. Instead of listening to the music we are listening to the system and looking for flaws.

"(for the most part we agree for instance that Bose is crap),"

Ok, audiophiles agree Bose is crap, but who has actually set up a system with Bose speakers the way they would with a popular audiophile brand? Who has selected just the right amp and preamp to make a pair of Bose speakers sing? Who selected the right CD played, turntable and cartridge to get the most sound out of Bose speakers? What about interconnects and speaker cables? Who set up their system with the right equipment and then, with the advice of a so called acoustical expert, treated their room to get the best sound from a pair of Bose speakers?

Has anyone here ever done any of these things? Probably not. Yet everyone agrees Bose is crap.