Has anyone else auditioned something that really was terrible?

So basically what you have is the best and everyone else owns crap, aye yi yi...if someone thinks something sounds good with their own two ears then to them it is not crap...ears or an ear are like a fingerprint, no two are the same....that’s why there is so much "crap" to choose from...I like my crap, it does not sound like crap...😁💩

A couple things I would characterize as quite bad:* SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers* The amp section of a Parasound Halo integrated amp - the preamp section was actually very good

Not terrible, but not good:* PS Audio M300 monoblocks

I’ve heard whole systems that were bad -but I know it was how the dealer had them set up. McIntosh amps and pre, Paradigm towers, JL Gotham subs, etc.  It was disappointing, but I’m sure if done right the equipment would have performed well. manufacturers can’t control that. 

Well I hesitate to say “terrible,” because audio is so subjective.
But, since you bring it up, one of the oddest and most eye opening auditions I’ve ever done really drove that point home to me. 

The speakers were Klipsch La Scala (the new ones within last year) and they were being driven by high end amps and source (I forget which), and were being played LOUD.

But to me they did not sound good at all. I couldn’t really bring myself to hang out there for the duration. But the eye opening thing was that there was another dude there just digging the sound, and I could tell by his reactions that to him they sounded magical.

Different strokes for different folks.... probably the stuff I like he would have hated, and that’s cool too