I won't pretend to have near as much knowledge or expertise regarding things audiophile as you guys....Much of what I have used in the past, even today, can be considered mid-fi, and my taste in sound and expense has been tempered by the standards acquired by that experience. I have had the fortune to listen to very expensive gear, here and there, and I can appreciate the nuanced and refined sound they are capable of; but whether it's because my budget is tight or I simply don't know better, I am happy with what I own.

It seems to me that this hobby of our is like the cigar community, which is comprised of three camps of people: The true afficianados who know their products backwards and forwards and are not impressed by a bunch of fancy doodads and lights; the "afficianados" (note the quotation marks) who spend big bucks not knowing much about what they are buying, but are convinced that "more must be better"; and those folks in between who are intrigued but are content with merely knowing just enough to purchase something that is "good enough".

This hobby, like the cigar community's is prey to all sorts of vanity and misdirection. True afficianados can sit back and watch people spend their money foolishly, knowing that the amp that costs $15,000.00 may sound great, but there are plenty of amps costing much, much less that sound just as, if not equally, as pleasing. It's sad when a beautiful product can only be afforded by a boob who doesn't have a clue, but that's just the nature of the beast. Parallel that experience to the witless multimillionaire who buys vintage Cuban cigars, but proceeds to burn them all. To the canny smoker it's a shame, but c'est la vie!

The rest of us, who know better, can go our own way and make appropriate decisions, knowing that one doesn't need to spend a pile to get a lot out of the music. I've spent a nice bit on my rig, and it brings me many hours of happy listening. This doesn't even phase (no pun) my dad, who is content to listen to CD's and cassettes (recodings of the Texaco sponsored operas at the Met [NPR]) on his boom box. He wouldn't dream of setting up such a system, and that's fine. He's an Intermediate listener: he gets what he likes and likes what he gets, and that's good enough.

In the meantime, I turn on my trusty Newcastle and look at the ads here, in Audiogon and Craiglist, knowing that one day the fever will come and it will be time to upgrade. If I had the money, I would do so in a skinny minute, believe me....