There are lots of friendly, helpful people on this forum. I enjoy it very much. Even the "nasty" discussions can be entertaining when you consider that whether a person can discern a difference in audio cables may not be a sound basis to judge their worth as a human being. That said, there seem to be common threads to the unpleasantness:
I can tell you what you hear, or don't, with your ears, your equipment, in your room
You asked a specific question which I'm going to ignore in order to answer a question you didn't ask
You have a $1000 budget so I'll suggest a $5000 component
No matter what the topic, I'm going to respond with the same opinion, relevant or not
If someone has made a purchase or built a system that they are proud of, I'm going to tell them its junk-"midfi"- if it costs less than my system and that they are gullible suckers if their system costs more
I can express authoritative opinions about equipment I've never heard
If someone posts a question I consider unworthy, I'm not going to simply ignore it, I'm compelled to tell them their questions are dumb
Oh well, just my thoughts which may differ from yours, which is fine. In any event, I appreciate the useful information conveyed through this forum and the daily diversion from greater cares. Thanks to all who contribute.
I wish you all a joyous Holiday season filled with family, friends, and inspiring music.