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

That is a good question.

Listening skills are developed over decades. Values in sound quality change over time with your listening skills (learning about both good and bad attributes) … which in turn influence what you value in terms of sound quality. Also, when you hear a system it takes a lot of experience to figure out what is doing what to the sound… like is that the amp / preamp that is cold or the speakers? Etc.

So, I would say the less experience you have with high end audio the more time you need to appraise gear. Of course, if you have only had mid-fi stuff and you bring home a high end piece it can only take a second to get it. So, lots of caveats.
 

I remember a piece I brought home early on that I thought sounded great until I heard the “grain” in the treble. Wow, that was bad… I can hear grain in a couple seconds now.

@mijostyn

Excellent post. I really like Sound Lab speakers… they can sound incredible. But, like all planars, amplification is critical.

As much as I love the sound of the different electrostatic, ribbon, annd AMT speakers I have owned for over thirty five years of infatuation I switched over to dynamic speakers. I am happy and cozy with them. So much less trouble.  But that is just me.

@mijostyn 

Beautiful system, great venue. The nice thing is that typically electrostatics do not mind things like a screen in between them. While they are finicky about a lot of things, there are a lot of advantages.

I can see how you could end up in such a sweet spot with a long term view with space. I was always space and financially constrained so the path would have been harder. But you have a very envious system. 

@mahgister …”I dont know how people can think they had heard something in any room which is not their room , and with any complementary gear around it which is not their gear...”.

I think you learn venues the same way you can learn to separate what the specific speakers contribute, versus amp, preamp, vs, source. Experience. The more venues, live music, and equipment you experience you can start separating them out.

I remember the beginning of my pursuing the high end… my head was spinning. But over time I learned the house sound of Rotel, NAD, B&W, Threshold… etc. over the decades, I could tell what was venue, setup. I would often go to an audition and go adjust the toe-in or have the guys use a different amp. I found I started knowing much more than a lot of folks selling the gear. Also, I learned to quick;y spot folks that knew what they were talking about. We would instantly become fast friends and be able to exchange ideas and observations at a mile a minute.  This is what makes the pursuit so fascinating long-termed. There is no end to learning.

@asvjerry …”....I’m still stuck on ’grain in the treble’, and whether is was wheat or oats....”

I would have to say actually more like sandy. I remember hearing about grainy treble. I could not for the life of me imagine what that would sound like until I heard it… you know that feeling when it is as if your blood just turns hot 🥵 and descends down your face making you realize you made a huge expensive mistake? Like that. Sandy. Not smooth… the last big mistake I think I made in audio… that was about 1980. I returned it at a big loss and bought a used Audio Research preamp which the guy guaranteed I would love… I did. I think I kept it for nearly twenty years. Now all my equipment is all Audio Research…. No sand.

@waytoomuchstuff 

OP

+1