High end audio is a subjective experience. And a number of scientifically proven psychological fallacies come to mind that explain this behavior
Naive Realism
This is one of the greatest curses on our hobby. Most people think they see the world as it actually is rather than from their own perspective. But it’s just their subjective opinion of the stereo illusion. Or their personal approach to a subjective experience. When they meet someone who sees the world differently, it’s trouble! We see this here all the time: some silly goose spends as much as a house on his dac - but he only streams and expects every one to A. like his dac and B. like the streaming experience as much as him. When you share that you prefer a different experience to finding the "state of flow" he implies your experience is invalid because he knows better.
Or some sophisticated sounding Wilson- DCS fan thinks everyone should like the same thing as them, despite real world evidence of millions of millionaires , who love music, choosing to pass on his preferences and conclusions of their imaginations.
Motivated reasoning
This is a mode of decision making in which people evaluate new information based on how it aligns with their existing beliefs and tribal values: When we are bombarded with Data and details, people typically resort to cognitive inertia. Human brains find ways to accept even flimsy evidence that supports our worldview and discount whatever might challenge our assumptions... They are right, while everyone else is a dumb mother fuyer….
Liking
Human nature has wired us to like people who are similar to us. Humans have a proclivity toward “faction,” a tendency to divide ourselves into teams or parties that are so inflamed with “mutual animosity” that they are “much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to cooperate for their common good.”…. people are so prone to factionalism that “where no substantial occasion presents itself, the most frivolous and fanciful distinctions have been sufficient to kindle their unfriendly passions and excite their most violent conflicts.” (Quoting James Madison federalist number 10.)
And in this context of high end audio, people like others who share similar tastes and brands and experiences they enjoy. After all, we are dealing with very powerful emotions from music. And in so many cases, the guys who like the gear or audio experiences they like are right, while everyone else is a dumb mother fuyer….
We see this very frequently on this forum, with guys who own the same brand , share the same approach to audio, or those who have hung out listening together. They have formed bonds that’s resulted in small social networks. Examples we see are wilson / dcs fansboys, new love affair between wadax dealers and some wadax fans, horn guys, verbose platonic imaginationists, guys making the pilgrimage to DDK’s Mecca, lampizator owners , guys participating in the the Orgiasttic taiko herd thread , etc. And outside the forum, for example, the Boston based Goodwin dealership and many of their customers worship Rockport over Wilson and everything else, etc.
The guys falling into their small social networks follow each other around, “liking” each other’s posts. Us , humans, are suckers for flattery, and this “liking” function further reinforces and amplifies the phenomenon. They cooperate and support each other’s posts, fighting for those “common goals” and tastes of their group. And they clash and argue with the other guys who do not share their views and preferences. These repeated forum “battles” further strengthen the bonds within their social networks …
Scientifically grounded behavioral science principles confirm all of this.
And then, finally, also we have so many mentally weak and irrational clowns, who call other people names, because the stars in the cosmos didn’t align and people don’t share their tastes and preferences
This will never end until people adopt a more rational approach to audio as an illusion and to examining the psychological biases I mentioned above.
And adopt the “live and let live” attitude you espouse!
Until then - which is likely forever - Fireworks!