The thing that I find interesting is the fact that our kids will grow up not knowing that they're listening to such high end equipment until they venture out on their own and try to purchase their own system when they grow up and flee the nest. I can remember taking my father's stereo system for granted growing up through my 'formative years' and just figuring that's what a run-o-the-mill stereo system was until I first purchased my first stereo system and realized it was LIGHT YEARS behind the stuff my father had. Who knew all those years that my father actually did something more that walk up to the counter at Kmart and say, "I want a stereo"... wow, he actually must have put some THOUGHT into his purchase!
I'm quite sure none of my kids, nore any of my girlfriends kids have any clue all the research and developement time I've put into each and every purchase I've made towards the HT/home stereo system they (will) all enjoy... until the day comes that they're researching their own purchases and see how expensive the 'right' pieces actually cost. Sure you can go out and buy a 'ready-made' HT system right out of the box for a couple of hundred dollars and be happy with it, IF you've never heard what a real system sounds/feels like. But our kids will have a hard time when their best friend invites them over for a movie at his new pad and he plops down in front of an inferior set-up and has to listen to him rave about how great it is... our kids won't be easily impressed!
They might just be appreciative of what their old man raised them on though when they're scraping by on their first job and they realize that if they're going to enjoy the same level of entertainment they're going to have to come up with upwards of $10,000 dollars! That might just be a moment of enlightenment for them, the same as my first foray into hi-fi was.
