@theoriginalthor1 - I'm sorry to see that you seem to have gotten frustrated with the direction of the thread. I hope you come back to participate in the conversation.
I'll offer a dissenting opinion regarding the generalization of inflation specific to audio equipment and also some thoughts on the collector music market. Hopefully it will help take this thread into a direction that is more accommodating to you.
First, I feel that it's a great time to be an audiophile. There are good sounding components at all price points and you can get a good sounding system for under $1500 if you do a little research. $1500 in today's inflated dollars was under $500 in 1980 and I do not think you could have bought as good sounding system for under $500 in 1980. Now admittedly, I'm not necessarily talking about components YOU might "want". But a well designed $1500 system could probably meet the needs of a budding young audiophile.
On the other hand, the market for luxury items has grown tremendously and high end brands seem to be hellbent on seeing how much of that disposable money they can get the market to cough up on "high end" items. The audio market is obviously not exempt to this. Yes, you can easily drop $200K - $300K on an audio system and that's without room augmentation or treatment. Is this inflation? I'm not sure. Considering the quality sound you can get for not-to-much money, I don't really think it is just a function of inflation. I think maybe it's an expanding upper class looking to out-do each other or simply enjoying the absolute finest things in life.
Now, regarding the market for "collector media" as you called it. I'm guessing you are referring to vinyl as I'm not aware of much of a collector market for CDs. The market for vinyl is expanding rapidly and there is a lot of disposable income sitting in the bank accounts and retirement funds of people who grew up in the early/mid rock and roll era. The market for old rock and roll, as well as collectable classical recording and jazz recordings, has grown tremendously, however the supply has remained the same or diminished. It's classic supply and demand. The price becomes whatever someone is willing to pay and there's nearly always someone willing to pay more than you might think something is "worth".
I'm not a super rich person, but I do OK. However, I'm very frugal. I have put together a modest system of second hand components that cost me less than $4K. Heck, it's anchored by a pair of vintage Infinity RS1.5 speakers that I bought last year for $264. I've never been more content with my system in my 40 year audio(phile) life. That said, there are many original/first pressing vinyl albums that I would love to buy, but I'm just not willing to cough up the money. I'm happy for those who do collect records and are willing to pay what it takes to play. That's just not me. I'll stick with a later pressing or just listen to that album via digital or maybe buy a later release or a re-issue. And with streaming digital coming on so strong, I'll probably reduce my monthly music expenditure as I move to a streaming service vs purchasing CDs or even vinyl.
OK, I'm done. If you're still with us, do you mind sharing some examples of the inflated prices that concern you? Also, what has convinced you that the inflation is being driven by England and Germany? I would guess that the audiophile and collector market in those countries have grown at a similar rate to the US. However, the markets in Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East has likely grown at a much higher rate.
As always, if there is an expanding market and a limited supply, prices will go up. It's simple economics.
I'll offer a dissenting opinion regarding the generalization of inflation specific to audio equipment and also some thoughts on the collector music market. Hopefully it will help take this thread into a direction that is more accommodating to you.
First, I feel that it's a great time to be an audiophile. There are good sounding components at all price points and you can get a good sounding system for under $1500 if you do a little research. $1500 in today's inflated dollars was under $500 in 1980 and I do not think you could have bought as good sounding system for under $500 in 1980. Now admittedly, I'm not necessarily talking about components YOU might "want". But a well designed $1500 system could probably meet the needs of a budding young audiophile.
On the other hand, the market for luxury items has grown tremendously and high end brands seem to be hellbent on seeing how much of that disposable money they can get the market to cough up on "high end" items. The audio market is obviously not exempt to this. Yes, you can easily drop $200K - $300K on an audio system and that's without room augmentation or treatment. Is this inflation? I'm not sure. Considering the quality sound you can get for not-to-much money, I don't really think it is just a function of inflation. I think maybe it's an expanding upper class looking to out-do each other or simply enjoying the absolute finest things in life.
Now, regarding the market for "collector media" as you called it. I'm guessing you are referring to vinyl as I'm not aware of much of a collector market for CDs. The market for vinyl is expanding rapidly and there is a lot of disposable income sitting in the bank accounts and retirement funds of people who grew up in the early/mid rock and roll era. The market for old rock and roll, as well as collectable classical recording and jazz recordings, has grown tremendously, however the supply has remained the same or diminished. It's classic supply and demand. The price becomes whatever someone is willing to pay and there's nearly always someone willing to pay more than you might think something is "worth".
I'm not a super rich person, but I do OK. However, I'm very frugal. I have put together a modest system of second hand components that cost me less than $4K. Heck, it's anchored by a pair of vintage Infinity RS1.5 speakers that I bought last year for $264. I've never been more content with my system in my 40 year audio(phile) life. That said, there are many original/first pressing vinyl albums that I would love to buy, but I'm just not willing to cough up the money. I'm happy for those who do collect records and are willing to pay what it takes to play. That's just not me. I'll stick with a later pressing or just listen to that album via digital or maybe buy a later release or a re-issue. And with streaming digital coming on so strong, I'll probably reduce my monthly music expenditure as I move to a streaming service vs purchasing CDs or even vinyl.
OK, I'm done. If you're still with us, do you mind sharing some examples of the inflated prices that concern you? Also, what has convinced you that the inflation is being driven by England and Germany? I would guess that the audiophile and collector market in those countries have grown at a similar rate to the US. However, the markets in Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East has likely grown at a much higher rate.
As always, if there is an expanding market and a limited supply, prices will go up. It's simple economics.