[NoahH]

Ok - I went further down the rabbit hole.

The Wilson Watt was $4400 when released in the early 80s, and was the most expensive monitor at the time by a healthy margin (Wikipedia - not verified by me).

That is about $13k today.

Interesting as that one is pretty close to what we see now for high end monitors.

[rich121]

Ok - I went further down the rabbit hole.

The Wilson Watt was $4400 when released in the early 80s, and was the most expensive monitor at the time by a healthy margin (Wikipedia - not verified by me).

That is about $13k today.

Interesting as that one is pretty close to what we see now for high end monitors.

You can spend a lot more than that!

[Craig B]

Your observation about the price of reviewed gear isn't new. People have been writing in to TAS and Stereophile for decades making that very complaint. They respond that as an enthusiast publication, it's their responsibility to report on the industry, and they wouldn't be much of an enthusiast publication if they limited their coverage to an arbitrary notion of "affordability." They point out that the market for hyper-expensive gear is robust, with manufacturers like Wilson working overtime to meet demand. Though it's worth noting that at least TAS has made an effort for many years now to include lower priced gear in special monthly columns.

[Wayner]

If people would stop buying them, they would go away.

[rbbert]

There is a website called DailyAudiophile which summarizes (with links) dozens of Audiophile e-zines.  Not surprisingly each has a slightly different focus on the scene (hobby), with several mostly devoted to moderately priced equipment.  The good news is that despite inflation, there are new monitors in the ~$5k range which probably sonically surpass those early '80's WATTs (although TBH I have never been a big fan of the Wilson "house sound").

As noted, manufacturers tend to charge what the market can bear; fortunately trickle down technology is also alive and well.  As far as Stereophile and TAS, one can hardly blame their reviewers for wanting to hear and review the best components they can; again, if the marketplace continues to support the magazines there is no reason for them not to.  Look at some of the other review sites if you want coverage of less expensive gear.

[JLM]

Welcome!

OTOH it's never been a better time to get into good sound for the money if you shop wisely.  Streaming has opened the door to millions of CD or better quality albums with only a monthly subscription fee and near ultimate convenience.  Class D technology has made gobs of quality power cheap into small, efficient packaging.  And the advent of active monitors has allowed consumers to combine room correction signal processing, amplification, and loudspeakers into compact cabinets at a reasonable price.  An entire satisfying system can be had for under $1000.