Do you think audiophiles are the most gullible hobbyists

Can you elaborate on this lack of reality, Schubert? If you are referring to our consumerism, yes, we are the world's largest consumer economy.  We are constantly bombarded with ads to buy everything, and we do buy and buy.  We are told we always need new cars, new clothes, new furniture, new boats, new phones, new kitchens--when we could make what we have last longer. I drive a 2000 Saturn--still a good car for the 6K I drive annually, otherwise, would need something newer--not that I don't want a nicer car, though.  

jafreeman, in the most macro terms I can think of offhand, Americans will tolerate massive corruption , poverty conditions not seen in other developed countries , elections stolen for all to see, endless wars and virtually anything else with a shrug of the shoulders as they have internalized this is always the best country in the world no matter what .
This is not reality .
What you describe is the madness coming from the cognitive-dissonance
created from not being happy as you should be in the best of all possible worlds.
Consumerism is a drug for this as the social psychologists working for marketers are well aware . Most of country music is written by them .

We copy the German model.  

Well stated, Shubert.  The greatest country in the world is great only in some regions, and this is often due to massive consumer debt.  Propping up the facade of affluence is a stack of credit cards, loans and cash-out re-fi's on endless mortgages.  This is how the middle class willfully hands over trillions of dollars to the wealthy. We should not speak of such things here, but go ahead. Most of these threads are boring, anyway.