HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH TO SPEND ON A SYSTEM? IF YOU GET THE SOUND DOES IT MATTER?


How much is too much. Does it matter as long as you get the sound that you seek. I thought I would never have an expensive system as I do now. When I started I would have never thought to put this much into audio. But I have and I’m happy with my sound. Thoughts? 

calvinj

if I were a Lotto winner, I'd be much more willing and able to  spend crazy money to get a system that, in my listening room, would reliably transport my hearing mechanism to the venue in which the recording took place, meaning that there would be no "sweet spot" because the imaging would be actual and not a grand [but conditional] illusion, where the sound would sweetly and totally be free of any artifice, lacking any electronic noise/distortion, with the exact same frequency balance as the original performance and venue. as it is, I am a stickler for stereophonic imaging AND decently accurate frequency balance. the only speaker systems I'd ever heard that had a room-sized sweet spot and reasonably accurate frequency balance, were the Maggie tympani III and the Bose Cinemate SR-1, the former very VERY expensive [including the premium ancillary electronics and acoustic room treatment it required] and the latter somewhat more affordable. the Maggie sound system did its magic via brute force engineering, the Bose system did its magic via the magic of DSP. to my ears, the Maggie system sounded "sweeter" and purer, with much visceral impact, as befits its king's ransom price. that would be the system I'd get if I was rich.

Why would anyone care what someone, who you don’t know, spends on a Hifi system and why would someone feel compelled to criticize them for making a personal decision to spend a little or a lot? 
Doesn’t seem healthy 

Of course, the question is relative to one's finances.  However,  I've always found it ironic that as we get older and have more disposable income, we can afford to purchase more expensive audio gear, while our hearing is no longer as good as it was when we were younger; back when we could have  more easily heard the improvements that a better system offers. 

As I have aged (turning 64 soon), my adio hobby/passion has taken on a greater importance to me. Due to three knee surgeries, two joint replacements and a fusion in one foot, a rebuilt shoulder, and arthritis throughout, I no longer run, or play tennis. I'm extremely fortunate to be able to play golf at the level I do and we are club members, and our home backs up to a course in coastal SC. So, on most nice days I am playing golf or going to the beach. When its too hot, too cold, or too wet, I am in my "music room" spinning LP's or streaming. I'm very fortunate that my lovely wife shares these passions with me and has never batted an eyelash at what I have spent, or am spending on audio gear or golf related items.