An Audiophile is Anyone Who Loves Audio Regardless of Monetary Status. Agree?

Well brett most of what you have said are just ridiculous generalizations. 

People that are able to make sound critical and practical decisions at a high level often are the same people that you shame with your comments about the wealthy.

Please tell me how we level the playing field. Since you post like someone who isnt wealthy, I am sure that you wont be contributing at a high level. 

Being an audiophile has nothing to do with money. Yes, you need to have money, but more importantly you are a music lover on a quest to compile the best components possible that when combined, achieve the best sound. 

Adding a $1300 power cord to a basic all-in-one turntable, then connecting wirelessly to Best Buy active Bluetooth bookshelf speakers, might not be the most optimized use of your money. That’s probably about $2000 worth of audio gear that would be considered “starter kit” budget.

But an audiophile takes that $2000 budget, and maximizes all components equally to milk every last music note out of that system. Then over time updates their components to steadily achieve different or better sound to their liking. It’s a quest and journey that never ends.

While I would agree that decent audio today requires a middle class income, I remember buying decent gear when a Sgt in the Army.  I prioritized my spending towards audio.

One does not need to be wealthy in order to accumulate gear and appreciate decent sound.

Much is how you prioritize your spending as well as income level.

Yes, it is easy to spend substantial funds in order to develop a system that  pleases you.  I would hold out Elizabeth as an audiophile who has a terrific system and is by no means rich by American standards.

I will share some perspective of “rich”.  I have a friend, retired professor at a small school.  He immigrated from Vietnam.  Je told me that viewed himself as rich because he could go into most any restaurant and buy a meal.  I immediately understood as I remember when I could not.

Lets not confuse the insane prices of some gear with being an audiophile.  I was a sports car nut when I drove a $400 Austin Healey Sprite.  I didn’t change many years later when I bought a 6 speed Mercedes sports car.  The same us true of my audio gear.

I think people are forgetting the OP's premise which was that you can be an audiophile regardless of your monetary status. It is clear even from those who are trying to defend this silly idea that it is false in the extreme.

Having posters of super cars on your wall, knowing all the Pagani specs and watching every episode of Top Gear does not make one a sports car aficionado.

The same with audio. What you want and what you feel are not relative if you have no means to experience what you are passionate about.

It is a hard truth.

One that @brettmcee is having a hard time working through.

And don't worry brett, you haven't hurt anyone's feelings.....but maybe yours are at risk. The simple fact that you have the means to post on this website makes your more wealthy than most of the world's population.

And while it might be mean spirited to point out that you too are one of the wicked wealthy at least you know that you should by no means have children since they'd be, well, you said it.........

Ouch!