A real "wake up call" available to most....High End Audio vs. Mainstream......

@thecarpathian

we are no doubt fortunate to have this as a hobby (and the means to do so, and to come on this forum to ’play’ and share)

it is indeed a difficult time for so many around us

i suspect the op is raising the craigslist issue in the sense of hifi vs mid fi gear... not a commentary on wealth or lack thereof -- clearly someone with less financial means can still have good sound on a tight budget, i find it very interesting to see youtube videos talking about true hifi system for $1000 or less...

Mesch...
I’ve put big audio speakers outside and what would be ear splitting inside is not nearly loud enough outside.
I also put a little JBL Bluetooth speaker outside and it was sufficiently loud.
meaning I just can’t figure out the outdoor realm.

Extension to the OP’s statement, I find it amusing when non audio informed  people encounter hi end audio systems. I was on a business trip in London and stopped by Harrods when I had some free time. It was a pleasant surprise to see Kef Blades set up and a whole group of Bang & Olufsen offerings. 
The comments some people made as they passed by were funny..one guy was bragging to girl about some of the features..like he was pulling rabbits out of his butt.
I was soooooo tempted to ask him to elaborate.

Jacksky, I have a friend that uses the JBL Bluetooth speaker outside. They broadcast very well and have desired volume.
I have used 2-way book shelf with 70-100wpc integrateds which provide greater body and soundstaging. The bass one perceives is that coming from the speaker, lacks room boundary reinforcement.  With many recording it can be more refined.

Really engaging thread. I can't resist a few thoughts (and why should I? It's the internet). 

First, I strongly agree with the few who have pointed out that most of the systems out here are far beyond most people's means. The median household income in this country is in the mid-60k range; remove the top 1% from the equation and that median income drops quite a bit. A $1200 cd player, which wouldn't be noticed out here, is outside of most people's imaginations--and means. 

Second, I do think we want to be careful about snobbery out here, not so much about the audiophile hobby but about music. There's a vibe out here that implies that there's a simple correspondence between our elaborate systems and our passion for music, as if we love music more than others because we are willing to commit our lives to high-quality reproduction. That's silly in a lot of ways. This hobby is about gear, not about art (and that's just fine!). For one thing, a person with considerable disposable income might love music so much that they put that money into attending concerts around the country; or spend their money on their own instruments; or donate that money to local musical organizations. I live in the world of the arts and I know plenty of people passionate about music, deeply so, who commit to that passion in ways other than buying expensive stereo equipment. For another thing, some people love and know music well enough that a modest stereo suffices for them to hear the beauty in the music (even if we say it's not there in the sound). An analogy: I know many people who have spent more than $150k on their kitchens (Viking stoves, etc) and I also know plenty of people who are knock-out cooks. In my experience, if there's any connection between the two, it's an inverse one. Great cooks are often just fine with modest kitchens. 

One might say that we're over-compensating out here! I'm not saying that, just that most folks can't afford even mid-level equipment (and virtually none of the stuff that we see for sale on this site every time we come out here), and that there's not much correlation between our systems and our love of music. I'm not saying we don't love music! Just that one can love music without committing to this hobby!