I am really amazed that almost every response to this sees speakers (i.e., audio equipment) and then says something about sneakers (i.e., athletic footwear).

Yes, I read it as 'sneakers' as well. Pretty sure it's because the word if prefaced with "pair of", which is much more commonly used with 'sneakers'.

I thought about this comment for awhile because I have unassailably high class friends who have spent $10k+ on TVs and sneakers. I think the key is they just do it with confidence. I jokingly made fun of my friend's sneaker collection but he just laughed it off without any hint of concern. Once you understand all the different social queues then you can start to act however you want as long as you have bulletproof self confidence. Taken to extreme lengths you might end up being referred to as eccentric but these days it's almost a desirable label.

But are they smart sneakers with voice control?

Totally backwards. You'll find more expensive shoes in Harlem than Astoria.

It's unlcear to me which of the two is considered "higher class".

I think Astoria is slightly wealthier than Harlem in recent history, but neither is known for for having a particularly moneyed population.

Today, I know more wealthy people in Harlem than in Astoria.

I meant home speakers, not car speakers.

And as we all know, shoes have amazing frequency response.

I only wear Bass.

Who picks Astoria to spend $10000 on clothes