oregonpapa, no need to be so defensive for ARC. We all know that you love ARC.
As I mentioned in my first post, ALL high end companies are following this business model. Perhaps due to the lesser numbers of audiophiles, and the lack of desire to compete with Chinese products, but all high end companies are spiraling upwards at an alarming rate.
Nordost came out with Odin line, Tara Labs released all their Grandmaster stuff, even my favorite company, VAC, released their Statement line with ridiculous pricing.
I don’t blame the high end market, why shoot the messenger? It is the economy that is driving them to change their business model. Adapt to what the market demands. The market obviously wants to spend a lot more money on gear these days.
It is NOT a simple matter of inflation though.