Boulder monoblock 2150

A dear friend has at least US$1MM invested in his wine cellar, never mind what he spent constructing the cellar itself.  A $100K amp for the equivalently wealthy audiophile...so what?  There are definitely many with the means, so if there is interest, these things *will* sell.

The distinction between high income and high net worth is informative.  High income people often blow it on expensive toys. High net worth millionaires tend to be frugal and would buy much more modestly.  

Also, let's not forget that not all the folks with the means to drop this kind of cash live in the U.S. I would not be surprised if a large percentage of these super high end (and U.S. made) components are shipped overseas. The largest market for very high end automobiles, e.g., Bentley, Ferrari, etc., are China and Middle East. I have seen some audio components on display during my travels to parts of Middle East that simply blew my mind. At those levels, most of the manufacturers send factory techs, from Europe or U.S., to set up the equipment in the customer homes. Crazy stuff.

@orpheus10 I personally share the political opinions you've expressed or implied in this thread. I think, though, that the lack of response or sympathy to your indignation is less about the fact that the members of this forum are not politically or philosophically aware and more about the fact that many don't want to deal with all that crap here. Audiogon is like a refuge where we focus on this strange obsession we share and ignore almost everything else. It doesn't mean we're ignorant of anything other than audio. It's just that there are plenty of places to have those discussions other than here..

To put spending $100K for an audio component into perspective, it was reported today that a "Russian billionaire" hired Mariah Carey, Elton John, the DJ Mark Ronson and Antonio Banderas to perform at his granddaughter's wedding.  The cost of flying Carey and her band to Russia and the hotel cost alone probably exceeded $100K.

The idea that the mega rich don't know how to put together and setup a high end audio system is irrelevant -- they simply hire someone who does.  It actually sounds like the dream job for an audiophile.  Traveling around the world auditioning, selecting and setting up cost no object systems.