Downgrading

All to say that it is possible that $18k system is just as good as $100k is very easy:
$30 cable can be as good as $3000 one and no blind test will be precise to describe difference.
Yugo $12 tubes are just as good as $120 Mullards
Digital amp can be just as good as $10,000 Rowland and $500 DAC can be just as good as $5000 dac or player.
You can also get arround without feet under your components that may run upto $200/piece...

Ways to downgrade without loosing performance are so many that it's hard to even list, but at the end you could be turned out to spend 10x less vs. what you used to have before.

Yes, all the heavy hitters here please downgrade. That will help make my rig look better!

o-o
/^\
\_/

18k in the hands of an experinced listener can go pretty far if you factor in used prices. It won`t out perform any and all 100K systems but would equal and beat some of them.Some very exspensive systems sound stunning and there are others that sound rather poor.
Regards,

When I sold off a pricey tube amp and tube Pre-amp, I then bought an integrated amp (also tubes) and pocketed thousands. I thought I was downgrading. Funny thing- it was quickly apparent that the integrated amp sounded better. I call that a win-win.

As far as digital- something that may have been tops a decade ago is often easily outperformed now at lower cost.

Simplifing can be a good thing; my new passive pre is an upgrade to me. But it was well chosen and not cheap. Constant tuning is the price of progress.