Maybe the reason some of us like the sound sample is so we have another reason to find a connection with the ukulele that we still haven't decided that we need to buy. Even if the expertly filmed and recorded instrument is not the exact one that we can buy, we still are eager for another connection to the uke we long to have. This sound-sample predilection may be because the UAS gene is dominant in some people.
"If I have one great ukulele, why on would I need another?"
Well, the sound sample is like a commercial jingle,
Uke-eh-leh-le... Buy one from Ditson department store this weekend! It activates another part of ourself that makes us crave acquisition. I wrote a NUD recently and a few thoughts in, I started telling the story of the hunt. That ended up being a big part of the love I have for the soprano I bought.
I think hunting for ukuleles is fun, so the sound sample adds to the fun. Imagine if everything you have bought from an internet link had a short video with a sample of the thing turning around on video and a show of how it works. Imagine if that thing was a Romero Creations thick bodied soprano. It would be valuable to see
this uke in action, even if that was just live the view of the dimensions of the uke compared to the person's hands. This uke is very deep for a soprano, as I understand, so a video would be great. It is also supposed to have a deep sound, so a sound sample would be great for someone UASing for one.
If the internet was text only, and no pictures were available, I would decide what uke to buy because of the descriptions.