Steve, bad analogy. iPod users use the stock earphones because they sound "good enough" and they don't feel the need to spend the money to get better sound.
Uber-audiophiles have exactly the opposite motivation; no preamp does NOT sound enough, and they are willing to spend the price of a mid size sedan to get better sound.
This is typically a highly informed decision, based on extensive auditioning of gear. I personally went through a few preamps that did not make the cut, a digital and analog volume control on a DAC and ended up settling for the arc ref5SE with transparent reference ICs and shunyata python zitron powercable (I threw in three stillpoint ultra's under the preamp for good measure as well).
I bought the preamp used with the intent of immediately reselling it if it did not improve SQ over the analog VC of my DAC (like I did with the Pass Labs XP-10 and the EMM Labs Switchman - resold within 48hours). If someone expertly "informed" me I was in fact getting worse sound because of some engineering principle, I would have still trusted my ears and kept the preamp.
Uber-audiophiles have exactly the opposite motivation; no preamp does NOT sound enough, and they are willing to spend the price of a mid size sedan to get better sound.
This is typically a highly informed decision, based on extensive auditioning of gear. I personally went through a few preamps that did not make the cut, a digital and analog volume control on a DAC and ended up settling for the arc ref5SE with transparent reference ICs and shunyata python zitron powercable (I threw in three stillpoint ultra's under the preamp for good measure as well).
I bought the preamp used with the intent of immediately reselling it if it did not improve SQ over the analog VC of my DAC (like I did with the Pass Labs XP-10 and the EMM Labs Switchman - resold within 48hours). If someone expertly "informed" me I was in fact getting worse sound because of some engineering principle, I would have still trusted my ears and kept the preamp.