All you said is basically true.
Let's not stop there.Take a simple thing like balanced design. Have you heard the term "true balanced design. Despite the fact that many deem singles ended superior or at least deem balanced design is unecessary there is a serious temptation to offer XLR input/output.The reasonable explanation is fear that some might pass on thier equipment because it is not balanced. It's the same with diamond tweeters or eotic measurements. I may not think diamond tweeters are warrannted, but I don't want my speaker tok sit on the shelf because the cutoemr thinkst's nanother product issuperior.The same thing applies fancy measuring techniques.
You might be surprised, but when we introduced our balanced products (which were the first offered anywhere for high end audio), audiophiles really were not interested. Neither were dealers. We did it because I liked the idea of a technology that could eliminate the need to audition and then get just the right cable to make the system sound right. Balanced does that, and contrary to this very popular myth:
Balanced is theoretically better, though the advantage is moot unless you have long cable runs. High-end design choices that are theoretically superior but practically unnecessary are a hallmark of the high end. No need to single out ARC, or any other company. Is it a form of audiophile nervosa? If they believe it makes an audible difference when it does not, sure. Otherwise, it's just marketing.
Tim
-the fact is that length has nothing to do with it. Balanced can be an advantage even if its only 6" of cable. The issue is noise in the environment and the fact that single-ended cables seem to have artifact, hence a muti-billion$/year industry!
But oddly, audiophiles did not want to let go of the need to pay big bucks for interconnect. So we had an uphill battle all through the 1990s and its only been since 2006 or so that we've not really had to fight so hard. The problem we have now is most of the high end audio gear that has balanced connections (and including ARC) do not support the balanced standard. As a result, you can pay big bucks for balanced cables now!! That part should not be happening, but as best I can make out, most high end audio manufacturers that make balanced products simply are not aware of the balanced standard (AES file 48, if you are still reading this).
So in our case, taking a stand for the rather obvious improvement that balanced lines offer audiophiles really didn't help us all that much. It stood right in the way in fact, and likely I was just too dumb to realize the problem until much later. I've never been very good at marketing.