Does anyone really need to spend 10k on power

Arguments along the lines of "its your money, spend it as you wish" miss the point. As a political argument in a liberal/democratic society it has a firm basis, but does it really justify extremely expensive power conditioners? For a consumer the real question is does the extremely expensive unit sound better than the merely expensive unit? And even if it does sound better, is it worth the added cost? It's a legitimate question.

A few days ago there was a story on the CNN website about the demise of the stereo system. Its narrative was that young people (college and just graduated) do not own stereo systems. They listen to music via computer and iPad/headphones. The article contrasts that to a decade ago when young people had loudspeakers, receivers, CD players, etc. In passing the article mentions that stereo system are still alive in home theater and the ultra-expensive audiophile arenas.

As audiophiles why can't we admit that high prices and the perception of low value is a serious barrier to the growth of the audiophile world? Why are we so accepting of absurdly priced products? My use of the word "absurd" implies a value judgement. Of course, but it is a widely held judgement. As a thought experiment, stand in the center of any major city and place side by side a BMW 6 series sedan and an equivalently priced Magico loudspeaker and ask people which is the better value for the money?

What someone can do with their money does not mean every expenditure is prudent or wise.

Rather than compare a automobile to a loudspeakers, change it to a loudspeaker vs. a woman's handbag. A $40,000 purse compared to an equivalently priced Magico loudspeaker. Is it my lack of knowledge about the intricacies of high end purses that makes me think the Magico is a better value?

All your arguments about personal choice and liberty are beside the point. I don't think anybody is advocating not allowing people to buy what they want. What I question is whether the proliferation of ultra expensive products is good for the long term health of the audiophile world? The increasing cost of high end equipment is a very real barrier to people entering and/or pursuing the audiophile lifestyle. The fact that a few people are better off because of this trend is not, IMO, a satisfactory response. There was a time when middle class professional types could actually afford to purchase state of the art music reproduction systems. The same cannot be said today. As a group are we better off?

Jmcgrogan2, I agree but I didn't want to take the discussion to a direct discussion of politics.

Some others in this thread recognize that large parts of high end audio have become luxury goods and priced accordingly. That hasn't always been the case. The classic tubed McIntosh equipment were mass market products. Same for the Quad ESLs, Linn turntables, Revox R2R or Shure cartridges. They weren't cheap, but they did offer the best performance for their time.

On a side note, what does it matter to anyone else if you build a 40,000 SF house with twenty car garage and helicopter pad? In theory it shouldn't matter, but if everybody in China and India did it at the same time the Earth would be stripped bare of it's forest and surface fresh water depleted.