I see the issue with ABX blind testing

Audphile1:  I wanted to disagree with you but then I thought of my wife and brothers.  You are probably right.  The differences seem obvious to me.  And my two sons.

Seems like any non audiophile that hears my system expects to be blown back into their chair by the bass.  That‘s what seems to matter.  They are generally disappointed.  I might as well just set up the Sony boombox behind my speakers that my brother talked me into buying.  I‘m sure my wife wouldn‘t know the difference.

Tony lol. Exactly. 
One of my friends after listening to my system asked why I needed two subwoofers, pointing at Pass Labs X260.8 mono blocks. 
Neighbors are just as qualified. 

Seems like any non audiophile that hears my system expects to be blown back into their chair by the bass. That‘s what seems to matter. They are generally disappointed.

@tonywinga Yeah, these are the same people who have the contrast and sharpness controls cranked up to 11 on their TVs and think Bose makes good stuff. Oh well.

Seems like any non-audiophile that hears my system expects to be blown back into their chair by the bass.  That‘s what seems to matter.

It would seem they were disappointed because they were expecting a noticeably higher sound difference between your system as compared to what they have at home.

The analogy:

I imagine it is the same for televisions.  You could put an average 4k tv in a room with an ultra expensive TV.  I might see some difference, but the difference would not at all hinder my enjoyment of the programming.

But to a TV buff, the difference is monumental. 

The drain-circling that purported cable audibility causes could be avoidable.

…

A fellow HiFi guru says “I perceive no difference”, well, that poor soul doesn’t have sufficiently well-trained ears and/or resolving enough kit to cut it.

A musician says “I perceive no difference”, well, that player’s instrumental experience is too narrow.

A conductor / music theory prof says “I perceive no difference”, well, live music and stereo playback are two different things, so that maestro’s comparing apples to oranges.

A studio recorder/mixer/masterer says “I perceive no difference”, well, HiFi components that reproduce those recordings somehow reignite sonic elements lost or masked by gear-inattentive negligence of those techs who made said files.

Then another forum avatar types “I do perceive difference…”, and no experience or credentials need be forthcoming: that fella understands! The anecdote rolls into a collective mindset convinced of reality despite lacking enough general curiosity to rigorously test it.
Being curious about how things work and being obsessive about a things-fixation are not necessarily the same obstacle. The first setting can be proficient with objectivity (using appropriate assessments). The second setting can tend to think it masters objectivity (despite perhaps avoiding appropriate assessments).

And yes, anyone who swears cables are audible components and got upset by the term “snake oil” or someone insisting no difference could possibly exist, that’s the same tendency using different words, guised in an analogous package of pseudoscience. The two polarized mindsets can be much more alike than some folks seem to recognize.

I really like the tv analogy @jetter - well-chosen!