Has the cost of HiFi gotten a bit too much?

And now that all the political nonsense is out of the way, let’s address the OP’s actual question. Is the price of high end equipment raising faster than inflation. YES. And the reason is very simple. Suppliers of any product will charge the maximum price the market has shown it is willing to pay. We audiophiles are not special in this reguard. Just ask anyone who has bought a Harley, or Porsche, or any number of other luxury brands. Who’s really responsible, just look in the mirror. As long as we are willing to fork over the cash, the supplier is willing to raise the price. If you’re not happy paying more, then shop the used market and pay less.

@divertiti , if you were to go take a look at his past posts (time you'll never get back  and regret to your dying day) you'll see he's very consistent in his beliefs.

All the best,
Nonoise

Funny thing is I have been buying some European gear from Hungary and Poland at very reasonable cost.

I also keep in mind that people build products not countries. As long as the company is not owned by an oppressive government and they are building a quality product I will give it consideration (Chi-Fi in particular).

I picked up a wonderful Heed Elixir (Hungary) and popped it into my system for now to conserve on all my Russian Tubes in my main Integrated and it to is from Hungary

....when you watch/listen to him speak, it makes you wonder how on God’s great earth was this person elected.

Simple,  by listening to the idiot he was running against speak. 

As long as we are willing to fork over the cash, the supplier is willing to raise the price. 

Where does that cash come from?  

The FED has a way to distribute wealth.  Quantitative easing is a way to transfer wealth from the middle class to the ultra rich.  That's why they can afford such expensive stuffs.