All of you who deny that it has had any effect, it's like saying advertising has no effect on your brand preferences. With all due respect, I think you're kidding yourselves.
As audiophiles and music lovers, we are drawn to the sound as well as the music itself. Have your tastes in music not changed at all in the past 10 years? If they've changed, has it not been in the direction of types of music (not specific recordings) that sound good on your systems, and away from music that does not? I know this is true for me. I guess it's presumptuous of me to assume it's also true for other audiophiles.
As audiophiles and music lovers, we are drawn to the sound as well as the music itself. Have your tastes in music not changed at all in the past 10 years? If they've changed, has it not been in the direction of types of music (not specific recordings) that sound good on your systems, and away from music that does not? I know this is true for me. I guess it's presumptuous of me to assume it's also true for other audiophiles.