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

@waytoomuchstuff 

OP

+1

“Long demo”?

A year?

A quarter? 
 

Many opinions on the definition of “long.”

Mine is about an hour. If it doesn’t irritate me beyond belief it remains for a while for further investigation. I’ve found that if it’s that irritating out of the gate, good luck getting it to sound favorable to you. 

unless of course the amplifier and speaker designer are one and same with a deep understanding of both the load and amplifiers to deal with it, tame as it might be. 

A unique high end state of mind is the ability to understand the trade off inherent in a particular design ( edge clamping distortion and energy storage / release are just 2 attributes of planers…there are more ), being able to relate those to measure and listen results and move the ball forward without being a my way or the highway blowhard …ah that’s a high end audiophile to know….. i seek them out….

Please note i own both planer and point source, oh and a former that approximate the latter ( RIP Peter )

OP i appreciate your correction…. most creates doubt…. wondering how many tonearms you have heard ? …. while controlling the other variables……

@asvjerry I would say, knowing Brian as i do…it’s likely a hybrid  oat - wheatberry treble… His reference system is centered around Quad 57 and Croft tube gear… he is on my list of state of mind people to maintain a learning friendship with

@waytoomuchstuff You had me interested at wineglass, sold at Dog. Bless you too !