Do you trust your system?

I usually avoid listening to a "Live" Stream if there is a studio option.

In general the studios are better recordings.

Lately I have been experimenting with several speakers

in search of a new primary speaker. 

I am learning that the actual speaker makes less difference in the overall

listening pleasure than I had thought. 

Now that sounds contrary to commonly accepted thought and just wrong for a lot of reasons so let me provide some of the reasoning.

As I sit here listening to a pair of Time DC TF600 speakers

that are sold for $200-$300 all day long. 

If I blind tested these many would love the sound. Me too.

The associated gear, setup and room play as big a part 

in sound pleasure as the actual speakers.

Anyone want to hear the demo, I live in Phoenix

AZ and will accommodate all takers.

I trust my system as far as it can throw a convincing soundstage.

@steakster my friend read about recordings in the early days of CDs and right before.

You will cry.

OP:  I worry about our critical listening a great deal.  If you are recording or making or reviewing gear then critical listwning males sense, but for the audiophile critical listening should be introspective and learning about who we are as music consumers.

It is hard to make A-B comparison with life concert, especially when best seats are not available.  We assume that sound of instruments we hear thru our system is true and later compare everything to it.  If I have warm sounding system (added even order harmonics) I will never know how clarinet (only odd harmonics) should really sound.  We can still judge dynamics, clarity, extension etc, but it is hard to judge timbre of instruments - at least for me.  Trained musicians can hear and have easy access to reference sound.