"Absolute? The point at which your significant other gets really p*ssed at your most recent purchase."
Hold on here. You're supposed to tell them????“
I don’t have anything to add on the definitions of HEA, mid-fi, etc, but today, the wife and I were discussing my most recent purchase (Backert Labs Rhumba Extreme). She was objecting to how much I spent, and recognizing how she would react, I was initially hesitant to tell her about the purchase. “Don’t you think I’d notice a new piece of audio equipment?”, she says. Me: “Well, I’ve had it now for several months.” Crickets . . .
Later, while sitting in our family room with my audio gear, she said “Okay, which one is it?” I pointed to it saying “Three silver knobs.” She didn’t ask what it was or what it does.