Comment by function_seven

Your examples all have good reasons though.

> Why have an engine in my car that can exceed all speed limits?

So I can drive faster than the speed limit if I want to. (And I do)

> Why have a heating and cooling system in my house that can exceed any comfortable level?

Well, you shouldn't oversize your HVAC system if you want to save money. But it's nice to be able to achieve your target temp in a reasonable time period. Any system that can heat your house by 10°F in 20 minutes will—as a side effect—also be able to heat it to 90°F if you were to set it there.

> Why have lights that get brighter than I need?

Other people may need that extra brightness. You can choose dimmer lights if you want. In any case, there's a clear difference between the two choices.

> Why have an internet connection that exceeds what I need now?

Again, other people may need that extra bandwidth. If you can choose a slower one, then do so.

The point of this article is that 24/192 downloads do not improve anything. It's like having a car engine with blue anodized cylinder heads. Nothing about the performance will benefit from the color change of the heads. Or using gold plated ducts for your heating system. The quality of the air is not affected by that.

Our ears are not capable of hearing the differences when they affect only frequencies above our range. Imagine if those lights boasted that they rendered 200nm light more faithfully. That improvement is wasted on your eyes.