@nmolnar great pun!
@devinplombier I agree generally with your point about the lack of receptivity, even tolerance, of different opinions in discussions of our hobby; though I think both sides of the debate you detail should back off a bit. Both hyperbole and the arrogation of an infallible technical expertise have inhibited productive discussions of issues in which I am interested, here and elsewhere. I regret it when either or both of these excesses undermine what might otherwise have been a useful discussion.
But, I don’t agree this is this central point raised by the OP, who seems more concerned with the contemptuous attitude he thinks underlies the producer’s pricing decisions and the embarrassing effects on the general public’s opinion of audiophiles produced by marketing and purchasing ultra-expensive components. I don’t know how the OP gleaned the manufacturer’s motives, nor can I understand the two concerns he raises. First, I don’t consider that market in which a$90k PC exists to be predominantly an audiophile market, but rather a luxury goods market, which operates on another level, unrelated to standard measures of performance. Second, I can’t bring myself to be concerned about what folks not involved in the hobby think about how we evaluate the costs and benefits of the goods comprising the audio marketplace. I have acquaintances who have spent thousands of dollars collecting Stanley travel mugs and other consumer goods not initially marketed as collectibles. I don’t understand it, but they find it rewarding and that’s all that matters. We love our hobby and to hell with those who want to jeer from the sidelines.