Bernard is correct . . .
We "great unwashed", however, do benefit from this indirectly. The audio industry has always worked very hard to perfect its products in order to get those mega-bucks that obsessed millionaires are willing to spend. Ultimately, there is a trickle-down effect on the more reasonably-priced equipment that most of us can actually afford. The rich guys pay for all that research and development and later on down the road, the industry figures out ways to incorporate these innovations into cheaper products. It has always been this way with new technology. The first CD players cost a fortune when they made their debut on the market. They soon became affordable to everyone.
I'm a big fan of "mid-fi" and the getting the best bang for your buck. I can't afford most of the stuff that gets reviewed in Stereophile and other hi end magazines. But I did splurge on a pair of Martin Logan Aerius speakers after auditioning them in the store and reading one rave review after another about them. I have been thrilled with them ever since.
. . .
My only real complaint about this hobby is the lack of coverage of "mid-fi" in audio journals. I love to read about new products and technologies, but most of the offerings that are discussed in "Stereophile" and other magazines inevitably fall in the "ridiculous" price range. I know this is mostly "porn" for audiophiles, but I get tired of reading about stuff I could never afford to buy in a million years. I'd rather spend a little more time reading about products that might eventually wind up in my own living room. I am much more impressed by a manufacturer who can make a five-hundred-dollar pair of speakers sound like ten-thousand bucks worth of technology. It takes a real genius to make that happen. Any schmuck can give you a hi end product for a hundred grand. He'd better, for that price.
