I am a total novice in hifi but I do have some education in Physics. My practical experience tells me that if something cannot be measured, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Data is only as good as the instrument it is measured with and I would give as much weight to a pair of well trained ears as any laboratory equipment. And I do mean trained ears... I think a lot of the arguments about placebo come out of a comparison between pairs of healthy ears and pairs of experienced ears. They are not the same thing. Ask any experienced amateur astronomer, they will tell they see more through a telescope with their older, experienced eyes that they did with younger eyes because they have become better at seeing. The mental component of seeing (or hearing) has become stronger. Also much of what we sense is not the wave (that which usually is measured), but the modulation of the wave, which, if it is measured, data is one thing, interpretation of data is another.
Anyway, the most recent modification to my humble system was to install a homemade power cable to the amplifier, replacing the 10 amp (if it's lucky) kettle cord it was supplied with. The difference, if qualitative or subjective, was unmistakeable. I don't know why, but I have a theory. We talk about components being 'fast'. I assume a reference to their responsiveness. To my mind the realism of reproduced sound has a lot to do with transients. The attack of a snare, the blast of brass. Or bass clarity requiring greater and more agile power to reproduce accurate low frequencies. These qualities require momentary spikes of power (transients). To my mind, an amplifier cannot deliver it if it cannot draw it. Your amp will have a hard time draining a lake through a drinking straw.
Anyway, the most recent modification to my humble system was to install a homemade power cable to the amplifier, replacing the 10 amp (if it's lucky) kettle cord it was supplied with. The difference, if qualitative or subjective, was unmistakeable. I don't know why, but I have a theory. We talk about components being 'fast'. I assume a reference to their responsiveness. To my mind the realism of reproduced sound has a lot to do with transients. The attack of a snare, the blast of brass. Or bass clarity requiring greater and more agile power to reproduce accurate low frequencies. These qualities require momentary spikes of power (transients). To my mind, an amplifier cannot deliver it if it cannot draw it. Your amp will have a hard time draining a lake through a drinking straw.