You seem to be saying:Need is not a metric belonging to a hobby.
For needs alone,yes,you're right.
A hobby is about fun and awesomeness and pushes the "what can be done" to it's limits. All hobbies,not just audio.
Covering a need is ok.But boring.And we people don't go forward by boring.
The end example,my grave will probably be 2 x 4 meters.But still I have the Khufu pyramid to compare it*
*Edit: or better still the Qin Emperor's one.
"I know that the difference from going to more than 24/48 can't be heard by a single human being on the planet - but I want it anyway"
I find that weird: To me, it makes no sense. It has nothing to do with boredom or excitement. I'm never going to get enjoyment by changing something I know neither I nor anyone else can hear.
It is just something I can forget about to focus on things that *do* matter for this hobby. That is where I find "fun and awesomeness" Pushing things to the limit that actually make a difference.