When a person moves into a hobby and the primary goal is preservation of their money - that is, they will not "invest" into the development of the hobby in their life in any serious way through travel, expense for education, equipment, etc. - the result is an under-developed hobbyist. For them beginner to Novice level is all they will attain, regardless of how advanced they think they are.
Anyone who has been in audio or any other itensive hobby knows that IT is a lot more involved, costs more time, and is FAR more gratifying than a beginning effort.
An example...
I used to visit a lady who as crazy for African Violets. She was quite involved in the African Violet Society! Her entire basement was converted into a greenhouse, with shop lights hung from the floor joists above and table after table of potted flowers - all African Violets. She manned booths at shows, sold them, and had them all over her house. She had variegated types and had come up with a couple of her own hybrids, I believe. She was REALLY into African Violets.
You, Rok2id, are not like that woman. You are like a person who goes to a gardening store, buys an African Violet and thinks they have a lot of experience with African Violets. :(
If I am badly mistaken with the following assessment, please forgive me. I am guessing that your audio system is your first serious effort (or very close) at making a high end rig. It would explain why you are so dogmatic about defending inexpensive gear. When I was younger with no disposable income to speak of, no experience, and a firmly established ceiling on component cost, I was just like you. I wanted desperately for it to be true that the inexpensive stuff was every bit as good, and if it wasn't every bit as good, it was close enough that I could laugh at those who spent so much...
It wasn't.
Thankfully, opinions change with experience and maturity. :)
Now, maybe you have spent twenty years flipping $500-1,000 gear. In that case you are not much further ahead than the other scenario. :(
This is to say nothing of the value of enjoyment of the music. It is a legitimate decision for lifestyle to preserve ones financial picture as opposed to injuring it with extravagant expenditures such as audio gear. If you have not the means to "go big" then it is great blessing to be content with whatever level you can achieve in your hobby!
But that in no way means it is the same experience as more serious enthusiasts have. :)
