High End Audio Equipment, Status Symbol?

I don't know about this status symbol stuff. It can give you a buzz, but my experience is that it only means anything to people on these threads and a few guys in the business locally. Most of my friends wouldn't know levinson from pioneer. Usually they ooh and aah looking at the setup. I could put a bunch of junk on my neat racks and they would think I had a million dollar operation. Most of them tell me about these great bose speakers they have I usually respond that if they like em then they must be right for them. If its status symbol is when someone buys a system full retail without a clue as to what they have for the purpose of showing it off to their friends.

Any labeling of those here with highend systems as status seekers is inappropriate at best. I could put together a fantastic looking rather inexpensive system show to my friends and they would ohh and ahh all over the place. The vast majority of the people I know don't have a clue. They are more impressed with my overloading bass and don't even realize its a problem. Only a small number of my friends who are in the business really understand my system and nothing I have is truly good enough because someone always comes out with a better power cable or I should cryo my already custom outlets. I think we get caught up in this stuff and it becomes an obsession or passion or whatever.