In the middle of a pandemic, Stereophile reviews ~ $30K equipment

Who cares?    1.  Anyone who takes what is written in a review of a high priced audio component seriously is rather foolish. More than 50% of what any of these guys "hear" is imaginary.   2.  Rich people like expensive stuff.  No one buys a $10,000 watch because it keeps better time.  It's a lot easier to make money selling high margin stuff to rich people than to compete with big companies mass producing affordable gear.  What makes a $30K component better to its target audience is the fact that it costs $30k.