Let me preface this by saying that I do not believe that all solid state amps sound the same, or that all tube amps sound the same. However, you are so anti-scientific process that it's a bit ridiculous.
In reply to:
People who have listened to different amps in otherwise identical systems report they've heard differences to which they ascribe a quality (like it more, like it less, different but dunno). Folks who claim there is no difference between amps rely on theory, rather than their ears.
This is absolutely false. They rely on their ears, but also scientific process to verify. If one can
hear a difference after swapping out a component themselves, then that leaves open the possibility that the difference they are
hearing is the placebo effect, as they know which component they are listening to. If one can
hear a difference
reliably and repeatedly after having the components repeatedly swapped without their knowledge as to which component is being played when, then that provides much more solid proof that there is, in fact, a real difference between the two components that isn't just an aberration or wishful thinking, ie, they sound different. If on the other hand, one cannot reliably
hear a difference after repeated swaps of the components (again without your knowledge as to which component is being played when), then the only logical conclusion is that the two components sound similar enough that they more or less can't be differentiated by
ear, ie, they sound the same. Yes, the
ear is the deciding factor in the test.
You would think the audio community would be more welcoming of this, since it would provide much more accurate results in comparing audio components. But then again, companies would have a much harder time justifying their outrageous prices if their $5000 amp turned out to sound the same as (or who knows, even worse than) a $500 one.
