Does anyone really need to spend 10k on power

I had the opportunity to visit the 1989 CES in Chicago. It is one of the highpoints of my life. (If that sounds tragic, I also have been inside The Great Pyramid and that counts as just a little higher) Back then, the Hifi show was in the hotel across the street and I got to spend the day there with my buddy. A couple of the set-ups in the hotel were some of the best sounding rigs I have ever heard. I wish I had taken notes on what equipment was used. I didn't because I couldn't afford it back then. I saw a lot and much of it was snakeoil; but some was eye opening. I sneered at all of the exotic and expensive cables back then; but today I have them in my system. I try to keep an open mind but not be naive. I think the key is to be a smart shopper. $10k doesn't seem like a good value for a power conditioner. For much less than that you could hook up a motor coupled to an alternator and generate your own dedicated clean power to your Hifi rig- with a big filter capacitor to boot.
I believe good sound can still be had for a reasonable price. I get to hear some of the SOTA high end gear now and then and I can still go home and enjoy my humble rig.

I think that the analogy of the BMW vs. the speakers is a valid one. If you consider the technology, parts count, ease of manufacture, etc. there is no doubt that the BMW has a much higher value per dollar spent.

Certainly how one spends one's money is a personal decision for one to make based upon the size of their wallet and their current economic circumstances.

But I think it is absurd to try and justify the purchase of a $10k power conditioner as a high-value proposition. If you really are in search of absolutely clean power for your system, you would be better-served by installing some solar collectors mated to a huge battery.

This serve two purposes - it takes you off the grid and makes use of the "free" energy beamed to our planet each day by the sun and it will also remove all of the power polluting "noise" that occurs when one is using power from the grid.

Also, unless the OP already has a professionally-designed and installed AV room, he is throwing money into his system at the wrong point. Remember, the speakers and the room interact quite significantly and a well-treated room will impart much better sonics than one that is un-treated...

-RW-

I remember about 15 years ago, looking at a report on the first $1000 interconnect I had seen. First thought was, I did'nt think you could make a cable you could dream of asking that price for. The second was, what sort of idiot would spend that sort of money.

Well all I have to do is look in the mirror today and yes, those expensive cables do make a difference. The same for power conditioning. I hav'nt spent anywhere near $10000, but a decent conditioner and power cords, certainly make a real difference. My problem is auditioning them. I find it quite difficult to do A/B comparisons on conditioners, they take so long to settle in and are dependent on the cords you use.

So if you have a $150000 system, I don't, you can argue it is worth spending that sort of cash. Justified? as others have said, it is none of my business how anyone else spends their own money

Remember the rich have much more money than you can even imagine. $10k to someone making $1m a year is like someone making $50k spending $500.

10-02-13: Onhwy61
All your arguments about personal choice and liberty are beside the point. I don't think anybody is advocating not allowing people to buy what they want. What I question is whether the proliferation of ultra expensive products is good for the long term health of the audiophile world?

Actually, this question should be asked of our entire economy, not just the audiophile world, since the audiophile world is simply following in the footsteps of the economy as a whole. Is it healthy for us as a society to have shrunk our middle class and moved the bulk of our money to the few at the top?

This issue goes far beyond audio, luxury car sales are up 10 fold in the past 30 years. The same can be said about just about any luxury item. We have turned into a society of haves and have nots. How does that bode for the long term health of our economic system as a whole?