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

So @johnk to clearly answer your original query...excellent gear is built to sound and perform excellently. Your premise that most things have a planned obsolescence or worse, that it is designed to impress and then sit around not being used is inaccurate.

The utility you buy at the point of purchase in better made gear remains. Certain things do wear out over time but reputable companies who build serviceable gear are the ones around for the long haul. At least thats the gear I try to buy. Its the additional features that materialize after you’ve bought that usually triggers a new purchase. For you to believe that excellent manufacturers build gear to minimize useful life prematurely is misguded. With that said, good stuff with a long life costs money.

If that's how you really feel then you aren't their target market. Plainly stated, manufacturers want to impress you at demo time so that you will purchase. They then want that experience to continue to enhance so that you will comment positively and tell others, so they will repeat the exercise and buy more gear. Most gear made today is exceptional at the various price points.

So, relax, as long as the hobby continues to evolve (young, intelligent leaders replacing those who "age out") as it has with regard to sound quality and features for the $$ as well as increased reliability, everything will be ok.

What is your point? Buy an Audio Note Ongaku today versus a twenty year old Ongaku. There have been running changes but the twenty year old amplifier remains an exceptional performer and is completely serviceable. If you purchase compromised products then its a choice you make.

@johnk @kenjit 

You really shouldn’t be so paranoid, however, I have it on excellent authority that someone is out to take advantage of you!

Kenjit has never been one to let facts get in the way of the narrative.

@mihorn 

All audio systems in the world sound un-natural (except Wavetouch audio which is an only natural sounding audio system).

I haven’t experienced your speakers first hand in my recollection. They may or many not be exceptional, HOWEVER, your statement that your product is the only solution is most certainly FALSE. 

@mihorn 

Certainly I didn't intend to strike a nerve about your product, only to point out that your absolute statements that your way is the only way to achieve natural sound are absolutely wrong. I THINK you are asking us to click to your system page to click on youtube videos of your system? The only thing I know for certain is that the only way to find sound less consistent and meaningless than at an audio show is on Youtube.

@mihorn Ummmm, whatever you say. 

@kota1 sort of correct….it was initially implemented with three speakers but it was always a two channel format where some manufacturers utilized a sum of both channels as a mono center. It was a primitive “implementation”.

Its all good if you are into immersive/spatial audio. I’m sure its awesome.

@kota1 thats a cool photo of Sinatra’s system at his Palm Springs home (not the really unique Twin Palms, but instead his later home built at Tamarisk CC). The preamp is a Mcintosh C22, which is stereo. The center is summed in such a setup.

Glad you like your immersive/surround sound setup. Many of us have consciously shied away from such a setup. To do it right it can get pretty pricey if using good gear and then it is still digitized/remixed from typically (there are a few exceptions) 2 channel masters.

@tubie

There exists terrific equipment at every pricepoint. The Ongaku example was meant to disprove the one size fits all obsolesence conspiracy being implied. Yes, great sound can be aquired at $150,000 (retailish of the Ongaku), $100,000, $50,000, $5,000, $500…but no matter how much we might like it to be different there will always be something better and there will always be something more expensive or that we can’t/won’t spend for. Go listen to the best stuff out there and then decide where you want to compromise. We all compromise. But make no mistake, if you ever hear a properly setup system anchored by an Ongaku you will never forget it. You might think the price is out of line with your value set (it is out of line with my value set) but it (and others of the ilk) are cost no object, moonshot attempts by manufacturers. The trickledown from which we all benefit.

In fact, there has never been a better time to be in the market for hi fidelity gear. The key is to shop and stay within our comfort zones financially while achieving our sound reproduction goals.