They shouldn’t assume that though. I was just 17 when i got my first credit card and maxed it out on a pair of pretty good speakers for the time, Jennings Research Vector 2’s. $800 was 4 months pay at the time for me and i was delighted with them. Used them daily for the next 40 years before upgrading.

How? By making nice equipment?

Linn don’t sell retail, at least not where i live. Never have, and i was frequenting hifi shops back then. Ran into my first arsehole hi-fi salesman back then too, he ridiculed my choice of speakers. I didn’t but anything from him, and swore i never would if i ever ran into him again no matter where he worked.

Conversely, i recently visited a hifi showroom in my rough work clothes and was treated with respect and allowed to audition some very expensive equipment, even a $1mil system even though I’d made it clear i couldn’t afford it. Smart of them really, i went back and dropped $2.6 k on some very nice headphones later on.

Currently sitting here browsing this thread whilst recording a symphony orchestra through a pair of microphones that cost $7k, on cables that cost maybe $150 each, ie. relatively not very much. It sounds incredible. Way better than the $3.5k mics sitting next to me i chose not to use. By your logic i should be using a $100 pair of behringers because the frequency response is the same.

People who come here to laugh at others because Amir says all DACs sound the same can bite me. You’re ignorant and are embarrassing yourselves. There are differences, large ones if you have good ears and know what top audio gear is capable of - and to know that, you need to have heard some. Ffs go to a good hifi store and educate yourselves. Over some top monitors and amps a $2k DAC will sound great, but a $40k DAC is revelatory. Try a pair of Audeze headphones and then tell me your Beats sounds just as good. Try a cheap DAC, then a $2k one, with headphones like the Audeze that are capable of reproducing everything that’s coming out of the DAC. Get back to me. In the meantime, stop trying to make yourselves feel better about your ignorance by ridiculing things you haven’t experienced. It’s cringingly awful and I’m embarrassed for you.

Note: I have pretty expensive full range monitors at home with $12k of room treatment, but rest assured I’ll never put the cables on stands. I can’t hear that and i doubt anyone can. Some things really are bullshit.

I give those hooks in the walls two weeks tops. OP’s gonna wake up with a crashing headache.