Has the cost of HiFi gotten a bit too much?

So we know that there is minimal demand for "hi end" audio among the masses.  It  seems demand will remain low until someone manufactures an audio system that truly creates a live and or holographic experience that any person can just plug in with little to no special set up (speaker placement, large/intrusive speakers, acoustic treatment, special cables, etc.).

To the extent that there are an excessive # of manufactures and retailers that sell products at excessive prices that are not truly "luxury" items,  high prices will remain artificially high. 

Whereas, I have no doubt that the Porsche Cayenne exceedingly out performs my Ford Edge.  However, I suspect that if everyone needed the full performance capability of the Cayenne to get to work or drive to the grocery store, the Cayenne might be a bit more affordable. Hence, I can save a ton of money by utilizing sufficiently high performance equipment that is cost effective relative to my 210 square foot listening environment. 

When I buy my mansion with an acoustically engineered small auditorium, I'll purchase a system that can push 2500 square feet of air at concert volume levels while maintaining near perfect frequency response and delivering hyper details (that I could not hear if I we're at a live concert because I don't naturally hear in "high definition" or because the room acoustics of the venue prevent me from hearing the sound of Diana Krall's eyes blinking as she sings.). 

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+1 @rbstehno

I suppose thats why Revel stopped producing the 2’s. You can’t sell anything that good for such a low price today. The audiophile community demand higher prices.

Not if you go about it in a smart and cost conscience manner and filter out the hype.

As an experiment, I just successfully replaced gear that sold for 9k about 12 years ago with a new unit that cost only 3K.

Just be aware of all the options out there. If you rely on this site only, chances are whatever sound you end up with may cost more. Plenty of affordable gear out there these days that can deliver sound worthy of the label “high end”.

can’t imagine Revel would hesitate to raise prices if it would increase sales...and this site still occasionally has some great deals...

I think the upper end of the high end maybe even the “vanilla” version of the high end has gotten stupid expensive.  But at the same time one can assemble a great system for not too much of a cost nowadays, as well.

What’s really crazy is you can connect a pair of inexpensive IEMs ($200-$300) to your phone and get absolutely mind-boggling good sound!