What's your profession? Age?

I'm 50 and unemployed. I used to have a $120,000 megabuck system and have since downsized to a small system that cost under $10,000 retail (I bought everything used) consisting of smaller floor-standing speakers, an integrated tube amp, a cd player and Purist cables. It's funny because I enjoy this small system more than my megabuck system.

I'm 49.have loved music all my life.I am a musician,having played the trumpet since 12 yrs.old.I make a modest living selling chemicals and servicing injection systems in hospital and nursing home laundries.Got bit by the audio-phile bug in 1978 working at a high end dealer while attending college.Got out of audio for about 15 yrs.Picked it up again recently and this time will never let it go,praying the whole time for my wife to be tolerant.

I am the manager of the Biomedical Engineering department for a group of hospitals in central Texas. I am 45 years young.
My system is comprised of all Melos tube components, and Vienna Acoustics Mahler speakers (soon to arrive). I would estimate the list cost of my system at $22,000. However, this is not an accurate number strictly speaking. Many of the upgrades done to my system over the years have been bartered. I also build furniture a hobby, and have traded those services in making speaker enclosures for several acquaintances that were designers, in return for components that they either designed as well or had on hand. Given the cost of running two very expensive hobbies without over stretching my wife’s patience, this was the best solution to both issues so to speak. So strictly speaking, I have likely spent 1/2 of the above amount. I suspect that trading other talents for equipment is not an uncommon practice with other members of this group.

I am a letter carrier for the United States Postal service. My system retails for about 28K. MY wife gets the new car and I get upgrades.

21, I am a College student in Canada at University of Waterloo. I love this hobby and have about 10K of mostly new gear bought off Audiogon.