For many people who fancy themselves audiophiles, it is difficult to consider any mass market brand anything more than mid-fi. When something becomes widely available and popular, it is no longer "exclusive" and "exclusive" is one of the primary requisites for a snob. One sees this repeated in any other area of life -- fashion, cars, sports equipment, jewelry, food, and so on.
It's human nature -- if we are avid about a subject, we want to be above the hoi polloi.