I have just $2k in my system and love it. I am not a neophyte to audio, nor am I rich. I just know what I like and found a way to get it - within my price range. Now you may smile at that, but my system is a direct-in(no preamp), tube OTL, DIY single-driver speakers setup that would, no doubt, sound very pleasing indeed to most, if not all, of the $100k system owners on this thread. After 25 years in audio, I found out how to focus in on exactly the sound I wanted, and researched the gear that could get me there. It can be done, and done well. Enjoyed the thread. Good listening to one and all.
Are you Guys Rich or What!?
I have an old system, nothing special, Adcom, Vandersteens etc and I recently set foot for the first time in a "high end" shop, hoping to get to the next level of audio nirvana. When I saw some of the prices for monoblock amplifiers, cables, the latest speakers etc, I practically fell off my chair when I realized that I could blow $50-100K pretty easily on this stuff. I am not rich. Do you big budget system guys all work on Wall Street or something or do you eat macaroni and cheese most nights to put a few bucks away for CDs and your next upgrade?