Quote Originally Posted by JohnMichael View Post
I find myself easily losing perspective when I read about a speaker that is only $16,000 compared to the typical product by this manufacturer being in the mid $20's and up and I find it is a bargain. When did I start thinking like that since none of it is obtainable.
Their plan is working !!! Hifi equipment makers have been systematically working for a couple of decades to "up-market" consumer thinking in general.

There are trends that have enabled and, for some makers, necessitated this trend. First is the ever-increasing spread between the top 10% of income earners and the rest; it's not that there are more people with money, but that there are a few people with a lot more money. Secondly North American & European makers have driven out of the mass consumer market by Asian makers; to survive, the former are force them to cater high-end niche markets. These markets have limited volume and catering makers must support short production runs that higher product margins and therefore prices.