Mid-Fi, Hi-Fi or.....?

@jetter …”A person who has invested $150K in his system will have a resale value of about $75K after 5 years. Cost of ownership $15K per year.”

Well, for me, I would do the math a bit different. So, my system is about $150K. Typically I will go for 10 years between major upgrades and I trade old equipment in. The roots stretch back fifty years. My last upgrade would have been $75K, but I traded stuff in… so out of the pocket was only $50K. But most current investment would still have residual value. Say half. So $25K of depreciation.

So, $2.5K / year. I listen three hours a day. That is $2.50 / hour. But there is no need to upgrade… so I could continue to drive the cost down.

One amp I kept for nearly 18 years. It was new and listed for $10k I traded it in and lost only $500.

So, nothing wrong with your calculations, but it really depends on how you invest and length of time.

Way back when, I heard a manufacturer’s rep/friend of mine state: "Audio is the cheapest hobby you can have. No green fees. Docking fees. Travel. Hotels. Lodging. Meals away from home. Outrageous insurance premiums. Risk of bodily harm/death."

I calculated that the more I drive my motorhome, the cheaper the cost per mile of ownership. And, the more we listen to our systems (good point, @ghdprentice) the less the cost per hour. When. you break it down to the "song/cut level", our systems are a true bargain by any measure, regardless of the investment.

@ghdprentice 

I agree with everything you are saying.  I really just wanted to throw an example out there.  

and if you get some great used deals, the cost of ownership is reduced, or even no loss when you sell...I did a few bigger than expected upgrades due to a great deal and after 5 years sold for essentially same price...though those deals tend to be rare...the key is to enjoy what you have...there sure seems to be lots of great systems here at multiple price points...

Mid-Fi can be experienced with esoteric gear and Hi-Fi can be experienced with so-called Mid-Fi gear. The trick to optimize the set up of your system so it can meet your requirements. I am an avid analog guy. My gear is all vintage except for my phono cartridges and my Bluesound streamer. I found utopia in separates with a pair of monstrous NAD 2700THX power amps in vertical bi-amp configuration. That’s what works for me. 
 

What may work for you could be very different. The path to knowing is by trying. That’s how I found I preferred Burson discrete op-amps instead of the run of the mill NE5532s and such in my preamp and phono stage. Again, go outside your comfort zone a little and try new and different things. You might be pleasantly surprised or even astounded with what can be achieved.