Can the level of pleasure derived from music be measured?

Simonmoon,  I could simply say “lighten up”, as my comment was made partly in jest,  Now, 

**** Not all, or even the majority, of audiophiles fit into the common stereotype, i.e., audiophiles get more enjoyment from the gear, than they do the music. ****

I agree and never said otherwise.   Moreover, this supports MY contention; if the humor is to warrant this much analysis.  Built into my COMPLETE methodology (☺️) is consideration of the fact that there are many different levels of what we are trying to ascertain.  Congratulations!  You are in the top…..…gotta be at least top 20% (?).

Not entirely sure what you mean by “a true audiophile hierarchy” and why one would want to establish it. Having said that and since the question deals with audiophiles and “pleasure derived from music”, a simpler and more reliable test would be to put an audiophile in front of two doors each leading to a different room. In one room is a violinist playing Bach (?), or a Blues singer with guitar, or a…..In the other room is a large collection of High End audio gear not even plugged in. Which room does the audiophile go into first and how long does he stay there before going into the other room….if ever?