What's your profession? Age?

I forgot to put my profession.
I gave up computer service to become a professional
patient.

CNC Programmer, manufacturing. I don't work for Boeing, but we make Boeing parts. Twelve years in the business, I'm 34. My system has a retail value of a little over $9000, but I have a little over $5000 in it. It's msileading because I can't listen all at once to my three pairs of speakers, or my two CD players, or my hybrid stereo amp, or my pure tube mono-blocs... So I have to say I have $9000 in equipment however, I can only listen to $5000-$7000 in one sitting. As you can see it's not brutally expensive (of course, this is a relative statement as you peruse this forum) but I have the "coolest" little system. Maybe I'll post it someday. In closing, if you're not going to state your income, then the question isn't being answered. The value of your system is only interesting relative to your income. I want to know exactly how "sick" you are, individually. I make a little over $60,000 and try to keep my debt in check. Take care.

Retired Air Traffic Controller. 44 years young and loving my tunes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You lucky duck retired at 44. Great God, your ears still work at that age! Beats the vast majority of us who only have the time and the money once our ears are failing.

I am a 39-year-old computer software engineer. Started having this hobby since my middle school year. My first DIY system cost me around $75 25 years ago. The retail value for my current system is around $79K.