"I'm a believer"

All engineers don’t have the same IQ/aptitude level...( In some cases, Daddy might have paid for the engineering degree and got him in the engineering frat).

You can dump all kinds of cash on a dumaZ engineer and he ain’t getting anywhere with it....got it boys? 😁 ...After he hits his cranial limits, he may make sht look prettier for you as you dump more cash on him and that’s about it....you can convince yourself psychologically (fake it all day long) thereafter.

"Ya get what ya paid for!" doesn’t apply with the dumaZ engineer. Returns will get diminished out the wazoo with such dudes. This seems to be an extremely hard concept to grasp for all the retired accountants around here (audiophilibeebeebooboo, eh?)..

Now, when you dump cash on a smarty art engineer, he may get somewhere with it...

Good Luck.

A bit rude but well said  though ... 😁😊😁😊

  I don't believe in the "diminishing returns", at least not as a universal truth. When you're in to the subjective the value of the return is up to the one who spent the money. That, and a $100k system does sound way better than a $20k system-assuming equal skill in gear selection. 

 No, I'm not saying that every economic step up gets positive results from every piece of gear. I'm saying you don't always get what you pay for, but you almost never get what you didn't pay for.

The problem is that this diminishing returns relative threshold exist because S.Q. is not related to price tag and better gear design in a linear way ...

Guess why ?

Because other parameters as the acoustical, the mechanical and electrical working dimensions play a great role...

Especially acoustic ...

For example a costlier speaker can sound way worse than one  less costly if the acoustic working dimension are not set right ...No speakers at any price beat their room ...

Most people who dont believe in diminishing returns are gear fetichist in a way or in another ...

my "fetish" or passion or hobby was acoustic and music  not high end gear collection...

I don’t believe in the "diminishing returns", at least not as a universal truth. When you’re in to the subjective the value of the return is up to the one who spent the money.

Don't forget that speakers are the end of the signal path and can only deliver what the amp gives it, which can only deliver what the preamp gives it, etc. 

Also a big part of the speaker cost is the material and construction cost of the cabinet, which may or may not contribute to the sound quality. But it may help you get approval from the boss, especially if the 3 feet from the wall rule encroaches on a more general purpose room/den like I have my system located.

Diminishing returns depends on how much you are willing to spend on the entire listening experience - room (see @mikelavigne's system) and then each component. Nothing exists in a vacuum. He based his entire house purchase on what he could convert into a dedicated listening room. First item - design of the room including minimizing noise from his HVAC system!

I think he is the most dedicated contributor I've heard about on the 'Gon. I don't look at any other audiophile discussion boards though - maybe there is someone else out there. Wish I was ever near Seattle so I could listen to his system, especially the reel to reel decks.