I do not think this is a very useful thread. Were we all to take auditory tests, I am sure we would see many nowhere near flat responses across the audible range of frequencies. It is not just a matter of the loss of high frequencies with age. Also, we know that many cannot sing on key or to recognize accurate timbre of instruments. We know that musical experience helps with all of this. Nevertheless many performers are off key and digital music helps to make their recording on key.
All of this means is that we cannot trust others to make recommendations for us. If a reviewer has a peak in frequencies where we have a valley, we probably won't like what he likes. Even a speaker with a perfectly flat frequency response and coherent phase, may not prove outstanding to everyone or to us personally.
I don't understand comments such as "taking advantage of the audio community." Who appoints these people as the scam police? There is no basis whatsoever for dismissing the benefits of audio components and tweaks based on "science." All designers also have ears and must design within the limits of what we know about nature's laws. No one yet has made a point source speaker with a frequency response, dynamics, and perfect phase of real music. Nor has anyone designed a "straight wire with gain."
Finally, I had a very interesting personal experience with a famous pianist who listened respectfully to my system and said he found it very enjoyable. Later when I visited his home, I asked to see and hear his system. Begrudgingly, he took me back to a small room where he listened. His system was a portable record player with outboard speakers. Seeing my reaction, he said, I know every piece by its music, I listen only to the interpretations of the individual performer while seeing and hearing the music in my head. He said that when he needs to hear music, he plays it.
