What is the current retail cost of your reference system?

Different people have different values and live different lives. Some commit themselves to education and hard work and make a lot of money. Others prefer a more balanced life between work and family and may have less resources.many spend money across a dozen interests… some over just a a few. Then there is your nature… frugal or indulgent. Many more parameters.

Folks that are passionate about work, and with few pursuits can end up with high dollar system. Folks with more diverse interests and less focus can end up with wonderful system but with less dollar value. Too much ego and we end up with folks just accusing others of not being the same as yourself.

Personally I respect folks with $10K systems that have a passionate love of music and put a huge effort into assembling it. I have a lot of respect regardless of the cost provided folks truly love and pursue great high quality systems… even if the cost five or ten times what mine does. I don’t assume just because someone has more money than I do that they are stupid. My experience has been exactly the opposite.

@bigtwin 

Well said and your wife is amazing.  I hide my audio equipment expenditures from my wife and she pretends that she doesn’t notice.

@vonhelmholtz You are correct sir.  In fact, I married her twice, but that's a story I'll save for thread on domestic bliss. 🤣

It is something i only talk about with my therapist.

I've never thought more or less about other audiophiles based on the cost of their systems.  One thing that is unique to audiophiles and their equipment is that I'd bet the majority of audiophile systems are bought and paid for and do not represent debt.

Why is it that people think that it's cool for someone to own an expensive boat, but take issue with someone spending an equal sum of money on an audio system?  I'd bet far more boat owners have loans on their boats that are stretching them financially than there are audiophiles that have loans on their audio systems.  Maybe I'm wrong and more audiophiles are in debt with their systems that I am thinking, but it seems to be that most audiophiles built their systems over many years.