There is a true story of a famous reform (the least traditional type) rabbi who gave a sermon in Toronto, Canada in the '70s. He recounted he read a story in the press somewhere of a middle-class lady being interviewed about her sexual habits vis a vis her husband - in some detail. Which she fully answered apparently with little care. At the end of the interview, the questioner asked, "There's just one last thing, how much is your total annual income?" Her reply: "Don't you think that's a little personal?"
The question as you've asked, birdscantrow - flirts with titillation more than it needs to. The setup as to why people switch so readily has some very interesting psychological undertones that you then refuse to ask about. If you had & then added besides I'm curious where audiophiles get all this money from, it becomes more overtly sociological/psychological in all sorts of interesting ways. As it is, you come across more like the little boy with his nose pressed to the store window salivating for the rocking horse behind it. The prioritizing of resources to fund audio & the various demographics involved is not an uninteresting question, but given this is primarily a more directly audio forum with some related issues as well, linking it to some of these more substantial issues would've gotten you much more enlightening responses.
The question as you've asked, birdscantrow - flirts with titillation more than it needs to. The setup as to why people switch so readily has some very interesting psychological undertones that you then refuse to ask about. If you had & then added besides I'm curious where audiophiles get all this money from, it becomes more overtly sociological/psychological in all sorts of interesting ways. As it is, you come across more like the little boy with his nose pressed to the store window salivating for the rocking horse behind it. The prioritizing of resources to fund audio & the various demographics involved is not an uninteresting question, but given this is primarily a more directly audio forum with some related issues as well, linking it to some of these more substantial issues would've gotten you much more enlightening responses.