I can almost always tell a tube amp from a solid state amp. I can always tell vinyl from other sources (and no, it's not because of clicks and pops). I can tell the difference and tube amps and vinyl sound better to me. Granted, I had to work my way up the upgrade ladder to get where I wanted to be, but measurements don't really matter to me, unless I need a 1.5 Meter interconnect as opposed to a 1 Meter one. Otherwise, I trust my ears.
Further on this-- whenever I decide to mess with the placement of my speakers, I always mark where they are currently situated. Why? Because I always go back to that placement, not because of the measurement, but because that's where they have always sounded best to me.