Does anyone really need to spend 10k on power

its all about elementary economics.

the value in use = the value in exchange is the necessary condition for a transaction. people attach subjective valuation for any material object. the estimated value is subjective and applies to all luxury goods.

there is no absolute value for any luxury good. it is based upon what the market will bare--the law of supply and demand applies in some cases as well.

how do you estimate what a power conditioner is worth to the buyer ?

The premise of the posting is a relevant and valid one. $10K is a lot of money there is no question about it. and if we are talking about a single box with some outlets in it, that is certainly a questionable purchase. Unless of course in contains a unique and miraculous technology that takes an audio system's performance to unheard-of levels of realism, that 9 out of 10 people can immediately agree they hear.
i am guilty of having bought a $5000 amplifier, but it did things in my own home i never thought possible before. instruments had a texture and a palpable presence that you had to hear for yourself. Only then would you understand why in the world i would spend so much of my income on "one piece" of equipment.
years later i replaced a $5K speaker with a $14K speaker. the improvement was incredible, but i realized i had crossed a number of lines at that point. I still feel guilty at times with all of the poor and needy people on the planet, when i look at all the "stuff" i "need" to listen to an album. My only defense is that i took my time and i do not get tired of my amplifiers every 6 months, my speakers every year, etc. and the emotion the musicians and singers feel comes across in the most beautiful manner i could want when i sit down to listen.
10K for a power conditioner? is it ESSENTIAL in order to hear the music flow from a well-advanced set of components? or is it just one of hundreds of accessories manufacturers are putting out there to get some market share?
P.S.- there is NO substitute in this hobby for a well engineered CD or LP.
trying to squeeze great sound out of a mediocre disc is like eating steak-flavored rice cakes.

What someone can do with their money does not mean every expenditure is prudent or wise.

Rather than compare a automobile to a loudspeakers, change it to a loudspeaker vs. a woman's handbag. A $40,000 purse compared to an equivalently priced Magico loudspeaker. Is it my lack of knowledge about the intricacies of high end purses that makes me think the Magico is a better value?

Onhwy61,
The answer is a resounding yes. You can't disregard the fact that value of these luxury items are relative and unquestionably subjective. For example a particular woman of means and a certain level ofhigh fashion but little or no interest in audio would choose opposite of you in this case. She'd fine the Magico an utter waste of money for their cost just as others would feel the same in regards to the purse she cherishes. How can one dictate value and worth for another person? You cannot, it's strictly individual, as it should be.

"its all about elementary economics." Naaah - it's really more about the size of one's e-penis. And as far as your "what the market will bare", even I ain't goin' there.