Why is there so much separation between the professional audio and audiophile worlds?

The question is why because if you look back to the golden age there was no or very little separation between the two the best stuff was the best stuff period pro or home.

Anyone that says all digital sucks has clearly never heard a decent SACD played on even a moderate system, among other possibilities.

Pro has moved on , audiophiles are stuck trying to find the best sounding fuses and wires while professionals are using active speakers with class D amps and DSP. There are a few crossovers like Kii and Dutch and Dutch trying to appeal to both. 

@skypunk, then just about everything you listen too now sucks. Even old analog recordings are stored digitally, to keep them from losing fidelity!

Once the music is in 1's and 0's it is essentially indestructible, a far cry from the old analog days when every step added noise and distortion. It was the big reason D to D recordings sounded so good.

Pro audio is priced much more reasonably as ego is not involved. Equipment from pro manufacturers is a far better value and you spend a lot less for "bling." Benchmark is a great example, dBx another.