it’s pretty clear, i am both a measure and listen guy. I get enough exposure to have a sonic memory of a wide variety of systems, i would consider state of the art. My life, blessed as it is, includes a generous heaping helping of live acoustic musical events in lovely reverberant spaces to have a reference.
Note plural systems. I am not alone. Seek out community, peers, those you can learn from. Join an Audio Society. Find a mentor ( RIP Roger, Thank you Richard ), find someone you can help ….
I am sincere in my ask about how he intends to evaluate SOTA against his expectation. Especially given his stated methods and the multi variable changes. I am not questioning his assertion of a SOTA expectation. Frankly, i’ve heard quite modest systems surf the edges of SOTA on some key attributes of sound reproduction - including the sometimes elusive emotional engagement factor.
@asvjerry you made me laugh…. best to you…