I wonder if this question doesn’t reflect technology in general. I have an iPhone so old I don’t dare upgrade the os because it will stop working. My brother had to get a new Apple TV box because the latest apps wouldn’t work on it. It used to be we had to upgrade software but now they make us rebuy hardware.
So how this relates to audiophiles is maybe on the margins of newer equipment. My not very high end system is antique components and so I haven’t cycled through changing things besides my amps. Those do seem to just stop working.
well, sorry if I’m off topic, but it seems to me there is a lot of this bait and switch happening with sometimes very expensive pieces of equipment we use every day.