Is it important to long demo or own HIGH END gear to have a fair accurate view about it?

As a manufacturer we advise people that if they do not hear a significant difference within one listening session - probably within 5 minutes, then we will pay to have the item shipped back to us no questions asked.

+1 Like I said earlier, love at first sight. I'm not sure if listening for days is going to do anything other than get you used to the new sound of the system. Maybe that's the point. Maybe I'm too quick to judge, or impatient. Or maybe, I'm so satisfied with how my rig is tuned for my taste that anything that sounds "off" is not tolerated.

@bigkidz ...we advise people that if they do not hear a significant difference within one listening session - probably within 5 minutes...

That, notwithstanding, it is critical to hear the test component in your system, in your room.

When i hear someone claim to have heard “all “, the thing i know is that person is deluded….

@noromance - we want you taking our gear home to hear in your system.  We can show you the differences in the various systems we have set-up but you need to hear our components in your system to make your best decision always.

If you don't hear the differences almost immediately, then just send it back, no need to wait days or weeks.  We love this hobby and what our customers to always feel happy and that they make the right choice for them.  No questions asked.

It depends on the experience of the individual and what that individual prefers. I prefer line source, dipole ESLs. I only listen to point source speakers when evaluating them for other people. Speakers should always be auditioned as the variability is very high. The speaker then determines the type of amp required. After that auditioning is not near as important. Most differences that some audiophiles gush over are really quite minor or maybe even psychological. Always beware of two traps, the cool looking trap and the costs more trap. Looks and cost do not determine sound quality. Some equipment such as tonearms and turntables can be evaluated on a design and build quality basis and do not need to be listened to. Turntables and Tonearms should have no sound, none. If there is a difference in sound quality something is wrong. The better turntables are silent and interface the record properly. After 15 to 20 grand all you are buying is looks and exclusivity, bragging rights. Once you have a turntable that makes no sound of it's own and is accurate you can not do better and IMHO the extra money for bragging rights should be spent on music and great bottles of wine.