Does anyone really need to spend 10k on power

$10k conditioners are not always luxury items. they may be necessary, but not for home audio.

Jmcgrogan2, I agree but I didn't want to take the discussion to a direct discussion of politics.

Some others in this thread recognize that large parts of high end audio have become luxury goods and priced accordingly. That hasn't always been the case. The classic tubed McIntosh equipment were mass market products. Same for the Quad ESLs, Linn turntables, Revox R2R or Shure cartridges. They weren't cheap, but they did offer the best performance for their time.

On a side note, what does it matter to anyone else if you build a 40,000 SF house with twenty car garage and helicopter pad? In theory it shouldn't matter, but if everybody in China and India did it at the same time the Earth would be stripped bare of it's forest and surface fresh water depleted.

the issue is the intrinsic value of material things.

there is no way to calculate or determine the worth of an inanimate object/

noromance, You say 10k is nothing to a guy making a million a year. If you make a million after taxes you have about 600k. If your living in a fancy house and driving luxury cars and have a wife and a couple of kids 10k is still a lot of money. A guy making 100k and not married with a family or living large can more easily afford to spend 10k than the millionaire with high overhead.

Lots of audio things I would like to be able to spend even way more than 10K on. Why? Mostly just because its cool stuff to own, look at and play with. Might even sound better, but don't really care.

List includes:

1) Lots of expensive tube gear from ARC, VAC, others just because I think tubes are way cool

2) esoteric speaker designs like German Physiks, mbl, and maybe even some other cool looking, high performing but less esoteric designs as well.

3) the fastest and best ultrasonic record cleaner I could find so I don;t have to manually clean my records when needed.

4) Some really cool looking stands and shelving to put stuff on

5) The best DCS digital audio gear money can afford

6) various really expensive phono carts just to hear what they might sound like. Plus the tables and arms needed to make it happen.

However, my audio budget is already mostly tapped out and things are sounding pretty good as I want them to already, so I guess I will be spending my money elsewhere on teh more mundane things needed.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that no worries power conditioning unit that can only help make things sound even better, whatever that is or however much it might end up costing.

Admit it, so called audiophiles! How often is better sound REALLY the only reason we buy the stuff we do? I am much more than just an "audiophile". "At least, I think I must be"!