Not sure why this should come as any surprise. People have consistently been willing to pay exorbitant prices for name-brands. This has been a staple in the auto industry for 100 years. And more recently with bottle water and coffee. Or does anyone really think that a $5.75 Latte is greatly superior to the $1.00 one?
But I'm with Jay, any joker who spends $3500 for a BluRay player deserves to get their wallet vacuumed. Heck, that $500 Oppo is a stretch too.
well if i'd paid $3.5k for it, i bet you I'D certainly notice the improvement. at that price my ears and eyesight are obviously more discerning than yours ;-)