Most of what I have was purchased second hand for about 50% of the new retail price. In doing so, for the most part I gave up warranties and have picked up a lemon a couple of times, but overall I've spent a relatively small amount on repairs and have put together much nicer systems than I would have had I purchased everything new. Even the new stuff, I've been able to get much of it at a significant discount through trade-ins, B-stock, refurbs, etc.
As far as this:
How many people buy stuff after reading/learning without listening, ie. Blind faith?
I've been much happier overall with things that I've done extensive research on and purchased without ever listening to them than some of the impulse buys I've made because I heard it in a showroom and thought it sounded great. Until I got it home and spent some extended time listening with my gear in my environment.
It's hard to sort things out from reviews because the professional reviewers tend to make everything sound flowery and the informal reviewers (like on this forum) come at things from different perspectives, ie. if all they've ever had is entry level gear, then something mid-fi may sound amazing to them while someone with a $25K preamp may be dismissive of a really nice piece that costs $5K. If you're patient and read between the lines you can usually get a much better idea of how something will match your tastes and system goals by reading than a short demo in a showroom.
