Great post, I was thinking about this just the other day. So many parallels. Getting worked up over specs like torque/bhp or engineering decisions like inline 6 vs 2l turbo. Every design has its pros and cons, and you can go down internet rabbit holes about which is "better". Like you say, just drive them and find out what you like for your budget and preferences.
How buying a car can help you be a better audiophile
Cars have specs. Lots of specs. Weight, engine power, displacement, maximum torque, engine type, headroom, legroom, not to mention exhaustive lists of features from the base models to the top end.
None of these specifications tell me which has the most comfortable ride for an 8 hour trip. At best we can get some idea from head/legroom and compare to our own but the entirety of the seat/cabin fit for us individually is just not there.
Audio gear is the same way. There may be agreements to how to measure but what is pleasant to listen to and what emotional responses we wish to elicit when sitting down to listen to music is not captured anywhere.
If I want to know if a car is going to be comfortable for me the only way I know is to sit in one and drive it. Ideally a rental so I can take a couple of hundred miles in it. See, a car is not a lab instrument. It is not a piece of gear I buy for the sake of maximizing profit, minimizing time to work or winning races. It is an expensive investment that needs to work and make me feel a certain way when I use it. Whether it's going camping or off-roading, supermarket runs. Rarely am I personally racing, but I suppose you might.
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