A friend of mine in the industry recently commented that hi-fi manufacturers are like drug dealers - getting people hooked on technology and then feeding them a constant stream of new "drugs" to buy.
Interesting analogy and one I suspect applies to almost any industry. What if we replaced the word "drugs" with acceptable addictions?
"Addictions" are OK if they enrich your life, make it exciting and don't harm you.
Support your local "drug dealer" aka. the high-end audio shop.