Do you trust your ears more than measurements?

@viridian exactly.  Trust yourself and your own experiences.  You are the one living with it. Most will argue that they have a secret formula. But they don’t even know how you like your music.  They don’t know your equipment etc. trust yourself. 

My new Von Schweikert VR9 SE MK2 speakers REQUIRE listening adjustments.  They have 7 adjustments per speaker and are independent (very different in the highs in particular from one another).  One for each tweeter/supertweeter and four for the subwoofer per speaker. 

so let’s tease out more detail on @viridian ’s apt analogy, buying a car.  Measurements are a really effective way to narrow down my selections when I buy a car.  I always look at horsepower, but of course you should also consider weight (as all horsepower is not the same. obviously).  Even then, I look at additional measurements, like torque, 0-60, 1/4 mile time, gpad times in car and driver (if road and track).  Is that enough? of course not.  Doesn’t tell me anything about how crisp shifting is (I’m a manual transmission guy), nor does it tell me about the interior, the overall driving experience.  But the measurements are a great way to narrow down my choices as I get serious about making a decision.   

No difference in audio.  I dare anyone to say they don’t consider power output measurements on amps before they decide to consider them by listening.  Similarly, it’s critical to know the minimum impedance and efficiency of speakers before I bother to listen to them (particularly as zIm a tube amp guy).  And would anyone dare to ignore the output measurements on low output MC cartridges before making SUT decisions?  Of course not, that would just be silly. So clearly ignoring measurements would be a mistake, just as ignoring your ears would be a mistake.  

Btw, my cars are a 2012 Audi S4 and a 2103 Golf R, both manual tannies with APR stage 1 tunes to increase hp and torque.  Very sweet rides. 

one more point: confirmation bias is alive and well in car performance, just like audio.  Case in point: I have had numerous instances where, right after getting my car washed, I experience this compelling sense that my car handles better - swear to god!  Why?  Well I’ve just spent an insane amount of money - $36 most recently, before tip! - and now my pride and joy looks beautiful.  I’m feeling good, and I’m focused on this amazing machine’s performance in a way I hadn’t during the dog days of January and early February when I kept putting off cleaning the car.  So I have an enhanced appreciation of my car’s performance, even though that performance has not changed one iota.  It happens every time, even though I know it can’t be real!  That’s confirmation bias, and that’s why I’d be a fool not to consider measurements!