Does anyone really need to spend 10k on power

I had the opportunity to visit the 1989 CES in Chicago. It is one of the highpoints of my life. (If that sounds tragic, I also have been inside The Great Pyramid and that counts as just a little higher) Back then, the Hifi show was in the hotel across the street and I got to spend the day there with my buddy. A couple of the set-ups in the hotel were some of the best sounding rigs I have ever heard. I wish I had taken notes on what equipment was used. I didn't because I couldn't afford it back then. I saw a lot and much of it was snakeoil; but some was eye opening. I sneered at all of the exotic and expensive cables back then; but today I have them in my system. I try to keep an open mind but not be naive. I think the key is to be a smart shopper. $10k doesn't seem like a good value for a power conditioner. For much less than that you could hook up a motor coupled to an alternator and generate your own dedicated clean power to your Hifi rig- with a big filter capacitor to boot.
I believe good sound can still be had for a reasonable price. I get to hear some of the SOTA high end gear now and then and I can still go home and enjoy my humble rig.

Vhiner, you made a good point. You don't perceive a difference between your old cheap cars and your friends $70k cars. You seem to be a practical person, not buying mid-priced cars just to have them and yet you see value in your $5k power conditioner. I'm certain many would take exception to your comment about cars when some are sensitive even to a type of shock absorber or brake pad. And $70k for a car is not so expensive these days. A new Chevy P/U loaded, stickers close to that now. The motivations for what we do are very complex and sometimes we don't understand ourselves why we do things. I'll admit something here. I bought my current CD player based on brand just so it would match my preamp. I knew it would sound good; but I skipped right over my obsessive research and comparison process when I made the purchase. Luckily, I have been very happy with it; but the me of 10 or 15 years ago would never have settled for brand or looks first over sound. Does that make me a shallow person now? I think we all let how a component looks as well as sound affect our decision- even if it goes the other way to make sure it is as ugly or industrial looking as it can be.

btw- I hit the double nickel this year. I'm trying to focus on retiring in the next half decade or so. Because of that, I am trying to live by the axiom, "be happy with what you got"- as in save, not spend. $10k power conditioners and $70k cars are not in my near future plans. The hardest part is reading about someone's new preamp, amp or turntable and not jumping on board the upgrade train. What I have found to compensate is making small tweaks to my system. I have become intimately familiar with my system since I have kept all of my components for a good while. So the smallest changes are very noticeable to me.

Perhaps those obsessive enough to buy $50 fuses would buy $10k Power Conditioners if they had the means.

It was a tongue in cheek comment. Would a person willing to spend 1000x the normal price for a fuse be the sort of person to spend $10k on a power conditioner- if they had the means?
My point is, wealth doesn't automatically correlate to having an expensive hifi. It's a hobby that draws those interested in music and the reproduction of music. Some of us will use all means at our disposal to get to the next level.

Hi Vhiner, I hope my reply didn't come across like that. Everyone has a hobby and interests. How much one commits of their resources to that hobby, be it 1% or 100%, is a personal decision. The only relavance cost has for a component is that it is an obstacle to be overcome in acheiving one's goals.
It shouldn't matter if a person spends $1k or $100k on a hifi. This community should respect the accomplishment made towards the goal of reproducing sound faithfully and accuratly. We should not judge on cost. Now, if a person spends $100k on a hifi just to listen to Country music, then they should be ridiculed to the point of exhaustion. (Just kidding. :0) Some of my best friends like Country music).