Law Of Diminishing Returns?

I consider myself a stereo enthusiast vs being an audiophile. The main difference? Budget. I've been in this hobby since the early 70's and have had many different components over the years. I had to sell my prized stereo during a contentious divorce (in the 90's) and never bought to that level again. 

I now find that I like used and carefully researched mid-fi equipment. My personal rule of thumb is never to pay over $1K for any single piece of equipment. Cable prices are based on no more than 10% of the price of the equipment being hooked to them. These are arbitrary numbers based on what I am willing to invest in audio at this point in my life, the quality of my 68 year old hearing and my audio compromised listening space. 

I did manage to buy one Stereophile Class B rated component, for my humble system. 

I hit the law of diminishing returns within every upgrade! +1 @secretguy

Interesting post. Thinking about my own Gear Journey, I’ve only bought two components new- a turntable to go with the used Fisher integrated bought in 1970, and a Hsu subwoofer bought in the mid 2000s. My systems have improved incrementally over time and IMO always punched above their weight in terms of cost. New purchases followed an increase in listening skills, discernment, knowledge of acoustics, and opportunity (finding a pair of JBL 4430s in a pawn shop, for instance).

Am close to the end of my gear journey now, listening to speakers I couldn’t even think about buying new and a lightly-used, great sounding preamp. Total between the two last year was just under $12k. That is magnitudes more than I’ve spent on my stereo at one time … ever. 

Agreed on the 80/20 rule and think the cost-quality curve is exponential. There’s probably better sound out there. But I get stuck listening to music for hours now. I’d rather listen to music than watch TV or movies. 

Finding a "happy medium" is hard but worth the effort. The old saying to "never buy an entry level or top of the line" item is good advice. Be patient, enjoy the process and hopefully you'll achieve an end game audio system faster than many of us did.

I spent a lot in the past 2 years but the goal was my "End Game" system. My biggest purchase was my amp. I revamped my system in reverse. I bought speakers that will serve me well for a while , but still knowing they probably would not be my last.

I spent on my amp and am having a preamp built by the same manufacturer to compliment it. Those two pieces will definitely be end game.

At some point I will upgrade my speakers , the electronics ( amp & pre) will not be outclassed by a "better " speaker .