Reviews of $10k plus ics, speaker wires, and pcs

"Should" they? I'm guessing you're asking a moral question here. we can all have an opinion on the morality of $10k speakers wires but none of them matter. In our capitalist world the marketplace determines what gets reviewed, bought and sold. Morality be damned.

Roxy54, I take no offense at all. Basically I agree with what you say. Mine is mainly a curiosity about why this cost escalation. Certainly I know that parts quality is up and that so is their cost. Also, most of the innovative products seem to be one person's effort and ideas. I guess small quantities and quality parts can lead to high costs, but I do think "bells and whistles" can raise the prices.

I also think that reviewers are drawn to the exotic products and certainly by being first to do a review of it. I also wonder in the focus on expensive components, how do those who must stay with less expensive products learn of them.

So you weren't asking a question of morality. Although, I think it's a much more interesting question, never mind my rely.

I'm not sure that the top 1% gives 2 shites about high end audio. They're too busy having fun and getting laid. It's probably more of the poor saps that can't afford it that spend the time and energy reading about it and lusting after $10K ICs. There are probably a few wealthy customers that want "the best" and have their local high-end store set them up with a pair of Wilson XLFs and MIT cables, but I would guess most of them just have their mansions set up with expensive home theatre and in-wall bullshit wiring. IMO

I don't think it's a bad idea to review the cutting edge of high end stuff, but the only purpose that I see is to keep the writers informed of what is and isn't state of the art.

Often times, the bleeding edge bleeds down to the stuff I can afford.