Hi-Fi can be less expensive than anything

When I did not live alone, none cared about my music or equipment till it played to ask to lower the volume or to shut down no matter how loud/quiet it was. Therefore got headphones and completely understand those with dedicated listening room so that none will tell to lower volume or to shut it down.

It should be available to those who desire I believe. To me it was a battle to grab a few square feet of listening area to place equipment that could only be used when none's home except me.

The whole point of a dedicated room is that it can be optimized for sound quality. As far as being a "man cave", take a look at some of the pictures in the virtual systems section where any number of people have aesthetically wonderful looking rooms. For me I don't readily allow people access to use my primary system, but my music collection is playable in six different rooms of the house. Wireless tech does make this convenient. In the end loudspeaker based systems need physical space to perform their best and whether you rent or own the cost attributable to this requirement can be substantial.

Czarivey, I sympathize. I never found myself in a situation like that, but I always have to self-regulate. I can't play loud music after certain hour, not only because it is an apartment building but because others want to have some quiet. I could have a dedicated room, the second room is not really used and it's not small, but this wouldn't change much. But sometimes I just say that I am going to play this record now and I am going to play it loud. Yeah, but one record not five in a row. I use headphones too, mostly at night, but you can't compare. Besides, with the phones on my head I am asleep in fifteen minutes at just about any volume.