"...but the audio hobby has convinced everyone that it takes thousands of dollars to get audio nirvana (or worse, that you'll never reach it until you make that next purchase, and the next purchase, and the next...)"

How have you arrived at that conclusion? Who or what is "the audio hobby" that has convinced everyone?

House of the Rising Sone
Out in the mid or far field
Dedicated mid-woofers are over-rated