WHY IS THERE SO MUCH HATE FOR THE HIGH END GEAR ON AUDIO GEAR?

I believe the 'hate' is more to being uninformed or worse...  I am not wiling to pay stratospheric prices (e.g. $10K network streamers, $10K speakers etc) but I have no issue with people willing to pay that. It's their own monies.   This is called the FREE MARKET at work.  No different that cars that cost $40K vs $400K and up...  

I'm a aerospace engineer working with a bunch of electrical engineers. I trust them that they know what they are doing. When it comes to audio gear, I asked them why two things (tubes or say capacitors) with exactly the same measured electrical values sound different.  They smiled at me and said, "We are engineers. We can only measure what we can measure, but sometimes that isn't the whole story". 

If the people at ASR measure something they think that is the Bible, but not really. It is only the beginning. 

People generally are jealous of those who can afford high end gear at whatever price point they consider that to be.  Then they want to rationalize that their gear sounds at least as good or 95% as good at 1/2 the price.  In a few cases they might be right. But we all know that *sometimes* you do get more for your money. 

My system is about $15K now (soon to be $20K next year) and that is the limit I can comfortably spend, but would I love to have a $100K system.  Hell yeah!  I simply say, more power to you and enjoy. Life is short. Jealousy is a waste of time. 

First and foremost is you are dealing with MEN. "My cables bigger than your cable". With many years of marriage to the right woman along with having wonderful daughters I became a human being. OP, you are dealing with the same problem women face on any topic, men are annoying and eventually resort to all caps. :>) 

It's the first deadly sin: Pride. "I'm better than you so how can you have anything better than I have?' Clearly you cannot, therefore do not. 

Greed:  "I want what's mine- even if you think it's yours" 

Lying: to themselves and others about what they are, want and have. With a hearty eff you thrown in for good measure.

Anger: See above Eff you. 

I don't diss high gear. I rather  spend some of that dough on the room. But of course that doesn't feed the pockets of an audio dealer.