I don't question everyones love for music. But I think that we get bored listening to our familiar songs or familiar music after a while and we need the thrill of some new piece of gear to "rediscover" our collection. That's what manufacturer's are banking on. My wife just rolls her eyes everytime I tell her that this is it. The size and cost of our upgrades are proportional to our budgets. When I see ARC Ref 3's on the market, I think that would be the end all be all preamp for me, but obviously people are looking for something even better. It's just like a drug addiction- our bodies build up a resistance and we need a stronger dose. I guess at some point we have to go through detox- sell all our gear and listen to FM radio/MP3 players for a couple of years and then ease back into the hobby with a Marantz 8B and a pair of studio monitors.
I don't get much time to listen these days, but knowing my system is there and ready to be fired up gives me comfort. So I won't lie to myself and claim I could sellout any time I want.