Are audiophile products designed to initially impress then fatigue to make you upgrade?

We should ask this question from another perspective:

How do I differentiate my product if everyone is making an excellent, neutral sounding device?

This is the product manager’s dilemma in a nutshell in audio. In the HT space there’s a ton of must-have features/brands that get associated with a purchase:

• THX
• Dolby
• DTS
• Atmos

but in audio, sounding different is actually key to a quick sale. Going to the store and finding something you don’t already have at home. Ragged frequency responses which accentuate some bands and not others are an easy win.

I've written about this here and in my blog in the past.  Whenever I read a reviewer saying "these speakers sent me back to my music collection and I was hearing things i have never heard before" I'm always suspicious this is the case.

A ragged frequency response can differentiate a product.  If you attach a high price tag to it they will then claim the difference is worth the $$$.