Why is the high end stratospheric?

I see it a little differently and think Erik is showing us something important here. Maybe some of you aren't aware of the price gouging because you haven't sat at the dinner tables while the pricings were being discussed. But I was at those tables in the 90's and heard how HEA was planning to jump into mega pricing, both reviewer and brand. Specifically raising these prices so HEA buyers would think they were getting better sound.

There's what the buyer saw, and there was the behind the scenes.

MG