The other 1 percent: Audiophiles | The Audiophiliac - CNET News: High-end gear can be expensive, but it can provide decades of enjoyment. A pair of Magnepan MMG flat-panel speakers ($600), an NAD C 326BEE integrated amplifier ($550), and a Pro-Ject Carbon turntable ($400) would make for a very respectable budget high-end system. Some folks spend as much as that system's cost on Starbucks or beer in a year, but a comparable system with used gear would be an even more affordable way to be part of the 1 percent audiophile "elite." My $70 starter system would still qualify as a hi-fi, so cost shouldn't stop anyone from joining the 1 percent club.