Has the cost of HiFi gotten a bit too much?

Guessing the bar is set low.
 

Actually, the opposite.  You’d be amazed at the quality of sound a pair of Etymotic ER4 and a phone streaming lossless can provide your ears.

LOL my phone is for business only. Email, Calls, Navigation and Audible Books.

Sure, prices on lots of things have gone up. 

But the best equipment is much better than it used to be. Although that best equipment costs a LOT of money, that development has greatly trickled down. A $500 turntable today sounds better than a $500 table from the 1970s, I'd posit, for example.

If you look at the cost computer, it has actually gone down in price. But not for high end hifi gears.

Something like this costs 30K brand new.  It does not seem to make sense.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisag1be-allnic-audio-l10000-tube

"Has the cost of HiFi gotten a bit too much."

That's a question of opinion. Certainly, the audio market tracks closely to other luxury goods markets. I'm a bit amazed you can spend 100K on a watch or any number of things, like an amplifier. But is it too much? I suppose it's not because the high end exists because there are people at the top of the pyramid that can afford to pay just about anything, for anything.

The second part of the question -- "it seems like high-end components prices have really risen more than inflation" -- is something we could find out, if someone was enterprising enough to look at the data. My guess is that prices have exceeded inflation adjusted pricing. But, the quality of materials, design and build, etc. are truly extraordinary these days--and that does cost something to achieve.

Now, do I feel a bit of shock at that $145K TechDAS Air Force One Premium turntable? 

[Falls out of chair.]