I think one major problem in this ongoing debate is that people believe that their own experience applies to everyone.
If someone goes to his local dealer or an audio show or even listens to amp A in his own system and decides that it is not musical or is too warm, most people seem to believe that the assertion that amp A is not musical or too warm is a fact. They heard it with their own ears. They now know that amp A is not musical or too warm. But that's not true
It is their opinion that amp A is not musical or too warm for them. Someone else can listen to the same system, or amp A in their own system and clearly hear that it is very musical but a little bright, etc., etc.
So one person's snake oil is another person's effective tweak. One person's unmusical amp is the amp that hits just the right note for another person.
Opinions matter though. We can discuss opinions and come to a general consensus, or not. But when we decide that our opinion is the only right one, the fight starts, the insults fly and little is accomplished.
If someone goes to his local dealer or an audio show or even listens to amp A in his own system and decides that it is not musical or is too warm, most people seem to believe that the assertion that amp A is not musical or too warm is a fact. They heard it with their own ears. They now know that amp A is not musical or too warm. But that's not true
It is their opinion that amp A is not musical or too warm for them. Someone else can listen to the same system, or amp A in their own system and clearly hear that it is very musical but a little bright, etc., etc.
So one person's snake oil is another person's effective tweak. One person's unmusical amp is the amp that hits just the right note for another person.
Opinions matter though. We can discuss opinions and come to a general consensus, or not. But when we decide that our opinion is the only right one, the fight starts, the insults fly and little is accomplished.