IMO with a lot of these components the diminishing returns are so steep that they are, effectively, bling. That’s not meant in a pejorative way even, it’s just that at some point, when like 90-95% of the price is getting you the last 1% of improvement in sound quality, you’re doing it because of the aesthetics and the flex and (hopefully) because you’re a huge nerd for the hobby who appreciates the engineering and craftsmanship that goes into making all of this stuff.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with that – a $30k watch doesn’t tell time any better than a $20 watch, but people still buy them.