I agree Michael. Any fool could put a wonderful sounding system together by throwing massive amounts of dollars at the task.
The appeal of the hobby for me is putting together a wonderful sounding system for the least amount of money.
My path to audio nirvana includes purchasing used high end equipment, for pennies on the dollar, finding great deals like Axiom and Michaura speakers (RIP), and waiting for discounts on new equipment.
If someone has unlimited funds to spend on their hobbies, who am I to criticize their choices. I like the look of McIntosh components, and they sound pretty good.
