Send in the Clowns

Personally, I listen to music,comedy, podcasts, etc. 

Perhaps some people, instead, listen to test tones????

@laoman Daniel von Recklinghausen, the head engineer of HH Scott (a US manufacturer of tube amplifiers in the 1950s and 60s) once said all you need to know:

If it measures good and sounds bad, it is bad; if it measures bad and sounds good, you've measured the wrong thing.

If it measures good and sounds bad, it is bad; if it measures bad and sounds good, you've measured the wrong thing.

This statement should preface every thread on every audio forum on the internet. 

And if you measure but do not listen, you have engaged in a pointless exercise.

Thanks for starting the thread - this debate has bothered me for some time.

The career I've been in for nearly 30 years involves analytical testing of both fluidic and electronic systems, all of which sits well outside the realm of audio. That experience has, however, made me realize what I view as an objective truth: In the grand scheme of things, the ability to measure electrical signal has not been with us for very long at all, relative to all "things" that can be measured. Moreover, it's probably fair to assume that the advancements in electrical signal measurement have been driven by an interest in measuring "things" other than those that translate to auditory perception. It should therefore not be particularly surprising that we've only broken the edge of being able to measure audio signals in ways that translate to how our brains perceive sound.

A good analog would be to travel back a few hundred years to a time when optical technology was in its infancy and we still believed Earth was the center of the universe. Through optical advancements, we've clearly come to understand otherwise. And with time, perhaps we'll be able to measure the audio signal charcteristics that translate to how our brains perceive audio properties such as sound stage and imaging, and the auditory queues for spacial arrangement we can perceive in highly resolving audio systems. 

For now, I'm perfectly happy to enjoy the experience I perceive with my system and accept the fact that no one can currently explain through signal measurement how the changes I perceive in cables and electronics affect that experience. And yes, I'm well aware of placebo and confirmation bias effects.