Think about what happens when you upgrade. First impression is "wow, I can tell a difference". Second, you listen for hours and hours, thinking "I should have done this before". After a few days or a few weeks the novelty of improvement wears off and this new sound is now your standard or reference, if you will. So we look to upgrading in the future. And so on.......
Are audiophile products designed to initially impress then fatigue to make you upgrade?
If not why are many hardly using the systems they assembled, why are so many upgrading fairly new gear that’s fully working? Seems to me many are designed to impress reviewers, show-goers, short-term listeners, and on the sales floor but once in a home system, in the long run, they fatigue users fail to engage and make you feel something is missing so back you go with piles of cash.