dreas26 posts06-05-2021 10:43am6. I’m a reader, and an audiophile friend recommended
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U58R0Q4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The Complete Guide to High-End Audio Fifth Edition, Fifth edition, Kindle Edition, Robert Harley. Many others available, but this is very good.
I looked through the preview and one aspect that caught my attention was "the specification sheet - sometimes at the expense of actual sound quality". "THD ... widely used by uneducated consumers as a measure of amplifier quality".
I've often raised that point on clinical review sites and always get hammered with clean path comments.
There is no doubt those tests can be useful but what goes on below audible levels is purely academic and in most cases irrelevant.
Even a pink panther missing a head doesn't indicate much and it should still be considered.