When does the law diminishing returns kick in?

The law of deminishing returns usually sets in after you have bought a prospectively wonderful component and find that it sounds like crap in your system!

I'll share a few observations from recent experience. There is a point of diminishing returns; it is subjective, and of course it does vary with pocketbook. For me, I hit that wall when I realized I'd spent too much buying equipment, amp and speakers, too big for my room. I had way more wattage, bass extension etc. than I really wanted for the way I actually enjoy music, as opposed to the way I might show off new gear.

To get that gear to open up all the music, it was uncomfortably loud; I felt beat-up by the pressure wave.

After downsizing, I had a system that cost far less and brought me more musical pleasure in the near-field at moderate volume. For me that came down to some of those 'why spend more?' components; mini-monitors around $1600 USd, and a tasty integrated at about $1200.

in my case the "law" never kicks in unless your spending too much or the upgrade was just to have a more current model without any sonic benefits.

ive tried hard to buy smart & sell even smarter so in my case this hobby hasnt been all that expensive & each rig that ive put together has sounded better than the last.

to really answer your question "am i missing that much" my answer would be no,your not missing all that much at all,as long as your rig was well thought out & all your gear works good together your right where you need to be.

mike.

I have spent a LOT of money on this hobby to get good sound.
It taught me that you don't have to spend a LOT of money to get good sound.
Well thought out components at reasonable prices can be as enjoyable as the higher priced stuff.