Went to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest this past weekend in Denver and got to audition a number of high end two channel set ups. I always thought my speakers, sources and amps were pretty good until I listened to the gear on display, but once I saw the prices, I decided my stuff is just fine. Some samples of what I auditioned:

-MBL Radiostrahler 101E ($52,000/pair; driven by MBL electronics)
-GamuT L7 (I think; prelim price list had them at $117,000/pair)
-Thiel CS3.7 (powered by two Bryston 7BSST monoblock amps)
-B&W 804D (powered by Classe amps; source was Classe CD player)
-B&W Signature Diamonds
-Aerial Acoustics 20T (powered by McIntosh 501 monoblock amps; source was Esoteric's new P-something CD player; and Sooloos music/dvd manager)
-Wilson Audio MAXX 2 (powered by BAT monoblock amps; sources were Paganini player and Clearaudio turntable)
-Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy 8 (powered by BAT monoblocks; source was BAT CD player)
-Wilson Audio Sophia 2 (powered by Mark Levinson monoblocks; sources were Mark Levinson CD player and Kuzma Stabi Reference turntable)
-Focal Nova Utopia Be (powered by Boulder amps; sources were Accuphase CD/SACD player and Clearaudio turtable)
-Focal Electra 1037 Be (powered by Boulder amps; source was Boulder CD player)
-Focal Alto Utopia (powered by Pathos integrated amp; source was Pathos Digit CD player)
also listened to some speakers in the Sonus Faber line
Most price-ridiculous thing I saw as a $25,000 one meter long MIT Oracle MA speaker cable.

Of all the speakers, I preferred the Wilson Audio Maxx 2s and the Aerial Acoustic 20Ts, but room conditioning and setup could have had a lot to do with it.

Oh, and audiophiles are a truly geeky crowd.

is better than what 95% of the people I know and come accross in my day to day life.

If by chance I do come accross someone and thier system that is better than mine, i am just more qulified to stroke their ego and tell them how good they have it on a more 1 to 1 level.

19 out of 20 people you meet have a Home Theatre In A box, or a low end best buy rig.

I am happy with where I am for the most part.

I've heard so many audio systems, both in studio and home environments that I've been able to discern the difference from tube vs solid etc for quite some time. There are few who really care to shell out for those subtle differences or even care to examine them. I found a great resource years ago for picking up used high end audio equipment for pennies on the dollar. I would highly recommend this to anyone seriously interested in pursuing a high end setup. Worst case scenario if not pleased with the purchase, re-market the item for the same and sometimes possibly more than you purchased it for!

On amps,processors, and speakers alone I saved over $8K alone! Buy from the classifieds!<ul><li><a href="http://www.audiogon.com/">http://www.audiogon.com/</a</li></ul>

Plus I never seem to make any of the RM gtgs, meaning the only AW'ers I've met in person are Hap, Reggie and Cody.

In any event the show was pure audio porn with some incredible, out of reach gear.

I went with him to the show last year. Nice gear, but the listening rooms weren't that good, which translated into sound that was less than impressive.
I hang with Reggie almost every week, so it's kind of like you and I have met, right? =)

Try finding a Totem dealer in your area. If you can't, I can find out for you. I'd put them up against most of the speakers you listed.

I've got a pair of the Rainmakers, and for a sub-$1,000 pair of monitors, they blow away the B&amp;W's, etc... and lots of other stuff in the $1,000-2,000 range.

I *am* a Totem dealer, but you really need to listen to them for yourself. I can figure out who carries them in your area. It really is worth a listen.<ul><li><a href="ttp://www.totemacoustic.com/">ttp://www.totemacoustic.com/</a</li></ul>