Do you spend more on audio than your income allows

in 2007, the median anual household income in the u.s.was a bit over 50k gross. you don't have to be an economist to realize that most americans have little free time and little free money. the traditional entry level hi fi will never be 'in the cards' for most music lovers. sitting for an hour or so in front of a stereo is as rare as the traditional family at the dinner table every night.

i've said this on another thread, but coming to an understanding(with yourself) that dimished returns, and 'no' returns (regarding sound) are very real situations. that the hobby is as much obsessive-compulsive behavior as any love for music is real for me. being a music lover and being an audiophile are two exclusively different things. its possible to carry on both hobbies, but the music lover in me (since i was in single digits)knows that the audiophile in me has been 'a fool' more often than not.