Am I right for this forum?

A very complex question disguised as a simple query. Makes me wonder whether the 'audiophile club' has an entrance fee. If so, exactly what amount of money spent on audio equipment is necessary to become part of the club? Is there an absolute number or is it relative to the viewer? A non-audiophile friend of mine cannot imagine spending more than a couple hundred dollars on anything audio related. She tolerates sound quality can make me cry. I would say that she does not belong here. It would be a horrifying experience for her. On the other hand, I doubt you judge others for their Hi-Fi expenses and can probably appreciate the thoughts of those who spend tens of thousands of dollars.  As pure entertainment if nothing else. That's basically the boat I'm in. I replaced a pair of 41-year-old broken down speakers with 20-year-old speakers I bought for  $900. My current amplifier and turntable cost me around $700. Back in 1981. Which makes me wonder whether it's the total cost of gear needed to get into the club or how much we spend on gear per year or $/total years in the hobby. So, a very complex question! 

On the other hand, I don't think whether you stay here or not depends on money spent at all. The question as I see it is whether you get value from being here and also whether you feel you give value to others. From the number of responses to your thread, I think the answer is obvious.

How do you locate this “virtual system” or whatever he shared?

many audiophiles are techno cultist...

They idolized the gear branded name which they "tastes"...

Or they idolized what they measured despising the other group...

I trust acoustics concepts and experiments over the price tags of the gear or over the price tags of the measuring tools...

i can bought anything relatively good and relatively low price and make it sound at his peak potential which level is perhaps not the best there is but is better than most can even imagine because they had no idea what acoustics means... 😊

 i am audiophile as any acoustician is : with a relatively modest system working at his best in the best room ...

It’s a sensitive group…

@brev ... No entrance fee, no bribes. no bouncers....well, not obvious ones on the 1st, none would seem to work on the 2nd (but no party hinting at any, either).

As for the 3rd.... getting a post of yours ’bounced off’ is the most typical, getting blocked from and off the ’Gon will require you to have to ’work at it’ and raise your own rabble to root you out.

How much you’ve spent on equipment is really up to you. If you’re one that feels ’something’ in your Camery when a lot-new mid-engine Stingray is in the next lane, it’ll help to have a thick-enough ’skin’ when names and numbers are shuttlecocked (ref. = badminton) about....

Current ’seat of the pants’ on mine? 3K$ if I really strung it out. Some bought new, most used (7~8/10), the rest my DIY, this ’n that....

Buy it all new, capable of doing what it does now? Given advances but similar....

’Bout....bottom of 10K$...given how I shop for such.

One can easily, in this audio ’endeavor’, it’d be easy to tack another ’0’ left of the comma...
...but I don’t suffer from appliance envy...Oh, for sure, I’d pref a Lotus over the ’vette...and potentially cheaper trills as well... ;)

But, here.....Run whatcha’ brought.....Music over the Means, afterall....

What’s important is what is to you. 👌👍😎

Go forth and listen.