Don't quote me as I read this a while ago, but it makes a certain amount of sense to me.
Relative to your position on the 'interest levels in stereo gear' scale there exist three levels:
1) music lover - he/she could happily live with a waterproof crystal radio set with a single ear piece. They'd cheerfully play it anywhere, anytime, at any volume including underwater, in the Sistine Chapel, while standing next to the screaming Rolls Royce jet engine of a 747, or on the sideline of a Seahawks game in C-link Field.
2) audiophile - the music matters as much as the equipment; a mint vinyl copy of Jazz Samba (Verve 1962) featuring Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz played through a $50,000 phono rig then output via a Burmester and Aida output section would cause a complete left brain/right brain meltdown and the listener would spontaneously combust on the spot. The moisture generated from pants wetting would turn to steam before it even reached a zipper.
3) gear head; no music necessary, just have more money than God and more space than the Everett, WA Boeing 747 manufacturing facility. You may or may not need a razor knife to cut open boxes, we all know it's easier to resell gear that is advertised as 'new, unopened box' vs. 'like new' or 'store demo'.
