Why is science just a starting point and not an end point?

Terrific post ghdprentice.

The Anthem AVM 60 Preamp Processor is a good case in point.

I've read where it could be considered a high end bargain. Then a scientist in a white coat tests it and awards it a headless pink panther.

Are they both wrong or maybe they are both correct?

Indeed they are both likely to be correct - it tests poorly but performs admirably.  

Nature itself is stronger than science, though with the later we try to comprehend the former. Most likely one of the reasons we create art is the necessity to complement science.

The Anthem AVM 60 Preamp Processor is a good case in point.

If you understood the measurements you would see why it got a headless panther. You would also see where Anthem thought the unit might have been faulty so they sent another unit to be tested. You would also know Anthem is having numerous complaints and problems with the newer AVM 70 which they sent for testing to the white coat guys. Looks like it tests poorly and performs poorly. Get a Denon.

Why is science incapable of providing even the slightest indication why equipment is judged by knowledgeable people as superior?

Science is capable of providing the slightest indication that you might start wondering just how knowledgeable these "people" are?

Simple answer. Science is behind the curve because we do not know everything there is to know about sound, electricity, metallurgy, and how humans perceive sound. We know some things, but definitely not everything. Not even close. In short, we lack understanding. 

This is not a strange phenomenon. We have always lacked understanding. And thank goodness for that. It means we will never stop enquiring and learning as we try and come up with answers of what we observe. 

Why some "engineers" (roll eyes) on this forum think they know everything about human hearing and the measurement of sound and electricity is beyond me. That would mean there is nothing more to learn on this topic which is baloney. We know more than we knew 50 years ago, in after the next 50 years, we will know more than we know today.