What is going on? No-one buys good stuff priced right.

There have been several interesting answers above and I'd like to offer some more.....

We are living in a time when even relatively "inexpensive" gear has gotten really good sounding.  If you've been in this hobby for any length of time, you start to realize that the more expensive the gear is, doesn't always mean better sounding.  Having gone to several shows like AXPONA, it becomes clear that most of the uber expensive rooms sound ok....not great.  I started making it a game to seek out the lesser known companies to hear their gear and compare them to the better known names.  In almost every case, the smaller companies produced gear that sounded as good or better than the others.  Many of them were also made in the US which is a big plus for me.  The customer service tends to be stellar with these manufacturers.

I also believe there is a move toward simplification with gear.  I'm over 50 and I'm getting tired of lifting amps and preamps that weigh over 75 lbs or 45 lbs respectively.  After 2 back surgeries, I'm not willing to take the chance anymore.

I've decided to move to speakers that are higher efficiency and integrateds that don't weight 65 lbs, but sound really good.  An example would be to compare one of the choices the OP gave:  Lavardin.  I've owned the IT and it sounds good, but I recently heard about a small company from the UK by the name of Sonneteer and decided to give them a try at a fraction of the price.  In my system, the Sonneteer Alabaster is a much more musical and enjoyable integrated amp.  It retails for $2400 and the Lavardin IT retails for $9500 (I believe).  A no brainer.  

I also hear from other audio friends that they are nervous about the economy and with the prices of used gear falling like a rock, they are holding on to what they have.  I think the word used above by audiotomb was content.  

I've also noticed that more and more of my friends would rather spend some extra money going to local concerts now rather than keep chasing the unobtainable.

Just my 2 cents.

What sense63 said!

Here is an example.  I've always loved ARC gear, but I can't afford it any longer.  Even used most of its quite expensive.  Recently, I purchased a used Blue Circle tube preamp and solid state amp in mint condition as they were so affordable.  Cheaper than many decent integrateds.  I was somewhat skeptical at first.  After all it's not an ARC, CJ or BAT!  To my pleasant surprise, the BC gear sounds wonderful, perhaps some of the best sound I've had.  Better than my old BAT gear.  I had always heard of Blue Circle, but just gave it no mind as there was always enough of the "big boy's" gear available and I had the disposable income to acquire them.  Now, I've become much more frugal.  The resale on some of the smaller and lesser known companies' gear just doesn't hold up; good for the buyer though.

More apparently though to me anyway is the fact that most audiophiles are aging and keeping what they have.  We've taken years to learn, gain experience and build our systems.  Like" jond " said, we're tweaking our systems more so than replacing entire components.  Secondly, I don't have to tell you the middle class is dwindling.  Many of the high end companies knew this and therefore raised prices accordingly.  As an example, the sales of $500.00 to $5000.00 speakers has declined while the sales of speakers over $5k has risen.  Even when these are resold, not cheap.  As a previous boater, I can tell you there is definitely a parallel.  Heck a few years ago a middle class family could get a really decent boat for a very competitive price.  Now, runabouts are priced like cruisers used to be.  Exponential increases!  I could ramble all night, so I'll finish by saying:

Lesson if any...let's enjoy what we have and be thankful every time we put on our favorite music to relax and unwind.  Regards......

It seems that elegance and power has gone small and light.  So much power in your hand and so many songs on your Pod that big and heavy seems like dinosaurs of old tech. I certainly felt it when I gave my son-in-law my Classe amp. Like giving him my pet Brontosaurus.  When everyone had a turntable, fat TV, and a big Dell PC, the high-end stuff looked proportional and cool.

...for your listening 'pleasure' and perhaps a form of education:

'Industrial Disease' by Dire Straits.

Still funny, and still wayyy too true.

IMHO, all of y'alls comments have elements of the Truth.  Too expensive, too 'niche', too esoteric, too self-limiting in the modern marketplace.  We're all discovering that the digital domain is dominating the discussion of the day.  And I love alliteration, but that's just me....;)

The 'cultured ear' has become passe'...

I suspect that the majority of those of us who lurk these forums came of age and grew through the maturation of audio reproduction and the means and methods to produce and reproduce it.  We witnessed the birth and growth of a market that has become so broad and varied as our tastes in the 'how' we prefer to experience it has mirrored this growth.

You can drink a 5$ bottle of wine or a 500$ version of the same vintage.  In a blind test, would you be able to tell the difference if you hadn't sampled both in some fashion previously?

I sincerely doubt it.

We've 'created our own dilemma'.

To the 'newcomer' to 'audio', an all-encompassing system entails an HDTV w/7.1 surround linked to a digital device ('puter, I-whatever,'droid...) w/blueteeth sunk everywhere, controlled by a remote something that controls more than just that system....if they can afford that level of sophistication.  And I'm not going to heft the 10' pole towards the economy, geopolitics, and whom y'all want to blame for all of That....

We are being phased out.  Your monoblocks are going Class D, like it or not.  I'm not going to say that vinyl is going to disappear tomorrow, or even a decade from today.  But I have some transcription discs that unless I take an inordinate amount of time and treasure to resurrect them, they will still remain 'curiosities', remnants of an era passed.

'Twas always thus, and will always be such.  Things change...and a lot faster than wallets, preferences, and opinions.

*Kicks soapbox into the corner, and stalks off....*