Are you Guys Rich or What!?

Brulee if it makes you feel good do it. Ye protest too much. I must have hit a nerve ending. My questioning is the sanity (insanity?) of 50k 100k 250k(?) components and all the underlying reasons for their existence in the first place. I don't see it as good value. How much is too much? Everyone has their "uncle" point, mine is at a lower threshold than yours, thats all. I'm talking about my values, NOT YOURS BRULEE. If you want to critique my system with my "ancient gear" (You REALLY proved my point to myself after that remark) after listening, I would welcome it. Always value an astute opinion. I'm sure with as much gear as you apparently have owned, some good recommendations could be made. I could then go out and pay maybe 30 or 40% of retail on the used market.

Tubegroover, Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with your gear or anybody else's. It is your questioning individuals on anything that I protest. Ya, you hit a nerve when you once again questioned me on my post of the FIM PCs. Remember when I raised your eyebrows? You made an unfair accusation because of my 3 posts on this wonderful sounding PC and 3 days later you do the same thing regarding MIT. I guess it is ok for you but not me. Peace tubegroover.

Thomas Haliberton. I just a matter of perspective and priority. Every time you see a 50,000 plus Mercedes in traffic just think what the driver could be listening to at night if he/she had bought a Toyata Camray. There's lots of wealth out there it's just only about one in a hunderd have it. Don't feel that not having it will exclude you from having a great system. Putting away 75.00 every second week and buy used over a period of 8to10 years will build you a system that 9/10th's of the best. Read David99's post above for a great yet affordabe upgrade path. Yet another analogy. In the last few months I had to buy 3 high end laptops for some of my wife's employees. $ 18.000 CDN and after 3 years they are not worth their weight in pototoes. I could have bought a Simaudio moom amp,pre and cd and had great music for 20 years. Cheers steve

Thomas Haliberton. It's .....sorry

An oponent of blatent consumerism and materialism, I occasionally find it hard to rationalize to myself my own spending for audio gear. Certainly from the lowly depths of middle class America, 50k - 100k systems seem as extravagent as using Springbank 25 to mix up scotch and Coke. Indeed there are probably more 'noble' appropriations for this kind of cash. Of course, I do not question the right of people to spend their money as they would, however I think I do have the right to question the judgement of all luxurious excess. Still, I'm not so full of myself that I think that I'm imune to these same lapses in judgement from time to time. One thought that all AG critiques of conspicuous consumption should keep in mind is that all of us have probably had to defend our spending on these things at one point another. Thus, I think it not improbable that in the face of constant criticism a certain amount of defensiveness may develop. I know I get a little irritated when people start hrmphing abou the cost oft my (in the context of this board) modest system. So perhaps a little more grace than normal is required in discussing this topic.