Does hearing the best in high end audio make your opinions more valid?

OK, who woke mapman up? And why didn’t he post once with all those thoughts together in the same post instead of three separate posts? Oh, wait a second, I think I know why........😬

There you go again with the post envy.  You should get that taken care of. 

Hearing the really top end stuff in my experience only allows you to better judge what you consider to be great sound.
 The more varied your experience the greater the depth of knowledge you can draw upon.
 Some very expensive gear I’ve heard was exploring unorthodox technologies that although expensive did not seem to me to be as successful as the cost warranted.

Calvin: When I say the best I mean what I actually mean those pieces that are supposed to be really great based on the reviewers and the industry guys that supposedly say they are.

"supposed to be really great," and "that supposedly say they are."

Best is quantitatively finite, it is not subjectively infinite, which is why it’s an oxymoron with regard to music reproduction equipment, as I said earlier. And, who cares what those so-called reviewers and industry guys think, anyway?

We’re the ones with the ears, and the bux they want.

I took my wife to her first audio show last year.  The third system was the von Schweikert/VAC/Kronos at $1.4 million.  That's the system she wanted after a 20 minute session.  Four others competed at a lower level from $20K to $150K.  Most left her running from the room or bored (about 40 other systems).  Listening to the best actually spoiled her appreciation for what I have, which is similar to the other four rooms, very musical, not as resolving/soundstaging/dynamic as the $1.4 million system.  She's so critical now when it comes to her rock albums (which I point out are not all audiophile quality).  So, I let her play her rock in a lesser revealing system with more feedback and warmer sound which she prefers.  She does like classical and jazz on my better system though.