There is one overiding reason professional buy expensive, high quality gear that I don't think has been touched upon?
Reliability. You simply do not read of Grace controllers, Neve pre amps or RME converters going wrong. I suppose they must but the failure rate is so low as to be invisible.
Dave.
Yes...reliability is a big factor in the overall cost for sure...but you also can't deny that much of the inexpensive stuff and the plugin models are trying to copy some of the (and I really am starting to hate this word, since it's so overused these days) "iconic" high-end gear.
So at the end of the day, there's a lot to be said for having/using that "iconic" piece VS one that's just trying to sound like it.
I absolutely disagree that it comes down to 99%...or better said, a 1% difference. That's just wishful nonsense by people who need to always lower the bar in order to make things fit their lower budgets.
I don't look down at people because they don't have the budgets and can't afford to drop serious coin on anything (been there)...but the obvious secret envy and subsequent public ridicule and denial by those who don't and can't...gets pretty tiresome, as this is a repeating debate that occurs only on home rec forums.
"I can't afford it, therefore it's not better than what I have, therefore I don't need it, therefore I must show contempt for it."
Finally there's another aspect to higher-end gear that might not be obvious or often mentioned...and it's the shear pleasure of using it, because you know it's going to deliver and it will be reliable and have great support, and it leaves ZERO questions in your mind AFA what's missing or "can I do better"...and it looks great in the rack, and makes your cheap stuff look that much cheaper.
For some, those considerations are not even on the table...because they simply don't have the budget..but let's not make believe that if the budget was there, they would still opt for the cheap, inexpensive stuff.
Again...this thread is not about gear (because not a single piece of gear or specific comparison has been offered or made)...it's about the money, or lack of, with an obvious disdain for anyone that has it and can afford to use it on better gear.
Kinda of a pointless and even somewhat depressed sounding.