Boulder monoblock 2150

@orpheus10 I personally share the political opinions you've expressed or implied in this thread. I think, though, that the lack of response or sympathy to your indignation is less about the fact that the members of this forum are not politically or philosophically aware and more about the fact that many don't want to deal with all that crap here. Audiogon is like a refuge where we focus on this strange obsession we share and ignore almost everything else. It doesn't mean we're ignorant of anything other than audio. It's just that there are plenty of places to have those discussions other than here..

To put spending $100K for an audio component into perspective, it was reported today that a "Russian billionaire" hired Mariah Carey, Elton John, the DJ Mark Ronson and Antonio Banderas to perform at his granddaughter's wedding.  The cost of flying Carey and her band to Russia and the hotel cost alone probably exceeded $100K.

The idea that the mega rich don't know how to put together and setup a high end audio system is irrelevant -- they simply hire someone who does.  It actually sounds like the dream job for an audiophile.  Traveling around the world auditioning, selecting and setting up cost no object systems.

Wow, Todd, you're on a roll today. 8>)

Dave

What sensible audiophile would pay 100K for an amp, even if he could afford it? Or maybe that's the wrong question. I don't have any idea who would pay 100K for an amp, do you?

Does that deep pocket audiophile plan to buy a 100K amp when he upgrades?

Rob, an audiophile lives ~2 miles from me is a CEO.   Last time I heard his system was Rockport Altair 2, full loom of Stage 3 cables, VTL Siegfried II mono and remaining is Ypsilon.   Last summer he upgraded Altair to Arrakis.   He demoed Ypsilon AELIUS II but was under power so he ordered Hyperion mono. It was ~$90K but with a strong $ today, ~ $69K.

He has a nice home, travel all summer, fleet of fancy cars ... good for him!

The new audiophile caught the upgrade bug big time.  He's remodeling his basement to a sound room, adding dedicated outlets ... It's his $$ so why do I care? 

To label rich audiophiles lack the knowledge to build a high fidelity system is just ignorant.   They simply have more disposable income to build a SOTA system.  

The simple economic explanation for high prices, there is demand otherwise company would got bankrupt.  The problem is you are not keeping up with the Jones and getting priced out of the market.   You have 2 options, enjoy what you can afford or improve your financial situation.  All the whining is pathetic!!!

Even seen the palace of a Russian Czar or other European King or royal? Or the penthouse of certain buildings even in NYC?

This stuff would fit in well there though if it were me I would invest in improving the acoustics of those huge echoing exotically adorned rooms first. Or better yet just build a very nice custom listening room.

I think most people like nice stuff. ALone that’s not necessarily a reliable basis for moral judgements though I think. Good taste is a good thing. At what point does it turn bad?  More to it than just what hifi one owns, right?

A good rhetorical polling question would at what point does one cross the threshold from good into bad or gaudy tastes or "extravagant"? I’d wonder what the results would be? Where would the US rank? What would different demographic groups think?