I have a lot of speakers on my list that were never in my main system. I've always had a few extra little systems that I kept around for fun and comparison. I tend to buy stuff when it's deeply discounted so the list price of what I've bought is frequently a multiple of what I actually spent. I bought the VA speakers when BB dropped them 5 years ago or so and paid <25% of retail. Almost everything I have was bought used or on sale. I had the B&W N802s in my main system for 6 years and then traded them in for 2,000 less than I paid for them. Not a lot of money at all when you look at it that way. They were replaced by the Thiels which I paid $3,500 for on top of the $3,500 trade credit. I don't think they've depreciated all that much since I bought them five years ago. I doubt they've lost more than 2k in value.
I went through a period where I bought the behringer measurement mic and real-time analyzer, made lots of bass traps and got everything equalized really flat. It was an interesting experience and I'm glad I did it. It gave me a good sense of proportion about how much difference the room makes compared to other things. I do like tinkering with stereo stuff and I have no problem admitting it. It's just a hobby.
I went through a period where I bought the behringer measurement mic and real-time analyzer, made lots of bass traps and got everything equalized really flat. It was an interesting experience and I'm glad I did it. It gave me a good sense of proportion about how much difference the room makes compared to other things. I do like tinkering with stereo stuff and I have no problem admitting it. It's just a hobby.