Is there a ceiling limit on what you are willing to pay for an audio component?

It is a function of your income / value of sound quality.
 

I am retired. Right now my sweet spot is $35K for speakers and ~ $20K per component… about 8 of them. If my investment portfolio were to double I would double the investment in my speakers (to Sonus Faber Lillium) and preamp (Audio Research Reference 10)… maybe my amp (Audio Research 160m to Reference 320s)…

So, I guess for me it is generally financial. My system cost many times the value of my Lexus and 4Runner… audio, far more important than automobiles.

@tonywinga 

Great story. 
 

I think most of us that have been spurred on to chase the very best possible have a story of two of when we heard something that was just so far above what we thought possible that it has inspired us and left a lasting impression. Me to. 

@mahgister

Ok. You are completely calibrated for your income level. You completely understand the sound quality / price levels and understand the optimal point. Now, say, your income level and savings quadruples.

So, do you seriously mean to say you don’t change your buying behavior? No. BS. Absolutely not. You can pontificate as much as you want, give as much to charity as you want… but you are going to realize that the X sounds better and will only cost you .1% more of your income.

Sorry. But your income is one of the two key determinates of the sq/value equation. If you really love sound quality and your income goi]es up, so does your carefully calculated equation of sq/price. This is the way humans work.

I have never felt like a fool with audio.
 

I have values… things that I value and things I do not. Until I was 50 I never bought a new car… had cheap used ones, would not pay a lot for tp, I would never buy drinks at a bar, but I had a new PC every two years and would put a very significant amount of my income into high end audio. Because a very small improvement in my audio system would bring me great pleasure. Like the really good bottle of Bordeaux that I would save up for and have once every month or two.

High end audio is not a fools game for people that understand themselves and their values, recognizing the pursuit is extremely complex, but can be amazingly rewarding. I love extremely ambiguous and complex problems…so Audiophilia is perfect.

@mahgister 

👍 yes I believe we do.

You bring up a really good concept… about the unconscious brain. That is what we are supplying music to… the unconscious is the appreciator and it uses our conscious brain to do the analysis and work to allow us to enjoy the outcome of our pursuit of the high end.