Are audiophile products designed to initially impress then fatigue to make you upgrade?

@richdirector     You are along the right track!  The effect of being bored with the sound is nothing to do with the manufacturer, still less any intent to deceive.  We simply get bored with the sound of our equipment.  It familiarises.  It doesn't excite us for long.  No different from starting with a new woman.  At the beginning, it's all thrills.  But the excitement soon wears off.  It's a human failing.  Thank goodness it's way cheaper to replace hi-fi kit than wives.

@invalid     Krell launched its first product, the KSA 100, in 1982, so it's 41 years old now.  Yes,  I have had my KRS 200s fully serviced, mainly replacing all capacitors.  Still going strong.  Very.

bigtwin, you hit the nail on the head! I'll add to it; The only thing worse than not being able to find that elusive LP is finding it! The thrill is in the hunt.

This topic reminds me of the time my granddaughter asked: "Grampa, why do you spend so much time working on your old cars?"

Me: "Because I'm always fixing things that aren't broken."

@ghasley 

"reputable companies who build serviceable gear are the ones around for the long haul"

Very good point.  I found it interesting as my career/hobby in "consumer electronics" was winding down, just how many companies did not offer a service strategy whatsoever.  It takes a huge investment to offer a parts inventory, training, service literature, not to mention paying technicians to fix your mistakes.  Much more efficient to ship the customer a "B-stock" (refurbished) unit and credit them a "core charge" for their old one.  When they run out of "B-stock" pieces to fulfill service requrements, then the item become disposable.  

Think about what happens when you upgrade.  First impression is "wow, I can tell a difference".  Second, you listen for hours and hours,  thinking "I should have done this before".  After a few days or a few weeks the novelty of improvement wears off and this new sound is now your standard or reference, if you will.  So we look to upgrading in the future.  And so on.......