Does measurements really matter?

Teo_Audio- WOW, that was a GREAT post.  One of the best I've ever read.  In such a small word count you explain the issue of hearing vs measurement in a nice nutshell.  I love the simplicity of your description: an "incomplete science".  

I have been demoing high end audio since 1975.  I've heard just about every weird anomaly and made about every dumb error you could make in system set up or design.  First consumer, then live sound reinforcement, now pro level recording studios.  I have heard very smart people say very dumb things, such as the composer who can write a movie score but insists his speakers are buzzing and defective when it's something in his room; like the home audiophile who is convinced his speakers suck when it's 100% room problems; like the producer who thinks he makes better decisions at 120dB SPL or the mixer who cannot hear the obvious power compression in his old passives after working all day.   I've heard great speakers sound absolutely awful in one room, brilliant in another room.  As you say, the mind plays tricks and audio/acoustics is not a simple black and white science.     

Brad

I am a trained scientist and worked as a electro / mechanical design engineer.

Excellent!

A real basic principle of high audio… glance at the specs…. Then listen, listen, listen.

As a trained scientist you would be acutely aware of the need to control for confounding variables in coming to your conclusions. When you "listen, listen, listen" how did you control for known variables such as sighted bias, in reaching your conclusions?

Brad--probably off-topic, but I've been meaning to listen to 40A and 50ASLT for a long time. I bet that within domestic reason, they sound similar (and great) from one room to another (as well as similar to each other except for bass and SPL). Without asking you to shill your product, can you comment?

Timely: In his latest GR Research YouTube video (posted today, Wednesday 3-23-22), Danny Richie examines the Magnepan Mini send him by a customer. In the video you see not only how Richie evaluates a loudspeaker---and designs a cure for it's ills, if any---but also a tutorial on comb-filtering, a design challenge inherent in all planar loudspeakers. 

Finding the video is real easy. Go onto YouTube and do a search for GR Research. The latest video will be first in line. A free education in loudspeaker design! 

Measurements and specs mattered when I started in 1982.  In 2022 I'm way less concerned, but they certainly have a place and serve a purpose.  I suspect as a deterrent, they help keep manufacturers honest.