Americans in particular seem to fall into two categories: Those with unlimited means who buy the most expensive items available regardlessly of quality or functionality, and those of limited means who buy the least expensive items available regardless of quality or functionality. Why is there Wal-Mart? Why is there no manufacturing in the USA?

This kills the good but moderately priced market in any category. A $1000 two channel amp is becoming very hard to find, and those of us out in the weeds will have to mail order it. Fortunately the current crop of cheap HT receivers, particularly the digital ones are becoming very good. But I digress....

Don't get me wrong here. If done right and for the right reasons, dollars can equal quality. But I don't think that this was your point of departure. I think you meant the you are amused at people spending huge amounts for money of parts that don't make much difference. My answer is pure elitism.

Bob

As for your point I agree with that analysis. At this point in my life I am surrounded by newly minted real estate wealth transformed into material goods; and to be truthfull it gets redundant listening to folks drone on and on regarding the supposed meritts of all this consumer largesse. I don't know if you find that to be true but I am in the strange position of defending high end audio to people who drive and own exactly the things you mention; while I get into my 1993 Buick Roadmaster and turn on my old Altecs with my 27" TV.
As I age I find less and less motivation to own things. I am more interested in learning how the world works.

Thanks for the thoughtfull reply.

In your discussions about ratios of money spent between equipment and media, it was suggested that it is very reasonable and appropriate to spend at least half of the cost of your system on media. I was trying to explain to my wife today that since I only have about $1000 in my system at this point, but well over 200 CD's (and I've gotten rid of that many in the last year or so and I've started collecting vinyl for a future TT/pre), that I really need to upgrade my equipment so I can possibly attain audiophile status. She replied with a "I don't think so". So what's the proper way to sneak the upgrade? I sure as hell ain't spending $600 on cables. I'm trying the DIY tube amp route because it's easier to get the parts a bit at a time

I can't wait to go to GPAF to meet some of you and hear some good setups!

What is the percentage of functionally tone deaf individuals
involved in the audiophile and speaker building hobbies?

Men lose of their hearing after 40 IIRC so isn't a lot
of this just chasing a chimera?

I think that to separate out the tone deaf from the
audially acute, everyone that raises an opinion on the
brightness of this or the boominess of that ought to have
a professional audiologist test and that test posted in
his signature-- like people do with their system builds.

I'm pretty confident that another speculation of mine
is correct and that is as a previous discussion included, a
large amount of listening to radio-- AM or FM, it doesn't matter--
will influence how you hear the human voice. So the effort
will be made in the design concept to mimic the compressions,
echoic effects and other audio enhancements that one hears
on the radio or tv.

It is really unfortunate that women don't take an interest
in these forums but the reason for that and rightly so to a large
degree is that they are about piffle. It's a form vs. content
thing which is another discussion the beginning of which starts with the question: Do you do this because you can't play an instrument?

I will cop to a bit of that myself.

The hearing thing; even though you are older and cannot hear frequencies above 12k can you still tell live music from recordings?