This turned out to be more interesting than I would have guessed, thanks. To elaborate a little, the $700 switch was the tip of the iceberg. The owner kind of latched on to that cause I'm running a big server (though mostly for video).
Also, somebody mentioned room EQ. We actually did talk about that. The answer was that none was used cause it's too spacially dependent (what sounds good on one place sounds bad somewhere else). Instead, the room has extensive wall treatments, diffusers, bass traps, and all that. It really did sound damn good over a wide area. But here's the rub. My system would probably cost me $12k to replace and would probably be considered "mid high end." So what is that extra $988,000 buying?
Anyway, I have to admit, I do find the idea of a $1mio system socially troublesome. And that doesn't include another $150k (or whatever) for the perfect listening room, the acoustic treatments, the noise-free battery\inverter setup for perfect power, etc etc. I feel the same about having multiple $8mio houses, super yachts, etc, but all that is a topic for another forum.