What do "audiophiles" use to judge equipment?

I've been fortunate to find a good dealer who's tastes mirror mine and I always trust my ears and my dealers advice.

@cmariner1  Robert Harley's well-known Complete Guide to High End Audio provides some very sensible approaches and considerations to purchasing components or a complete system.  He outlines very well the role that specs, reviews, speaker/amp synergy, dealers, listening, and individual needs/tastes play in making good decisions.  The reality is that there are a myriad of considerations that all do matter - some more than others.  I suggest starting with a guide like this and certainly not getting bullied into taking advice from "some dude" on the internet who publicly dresses you down by concluding: 

In short your "hypothesis" to the extent we can glorify it as such, bears at best a tenuous relationship with reality.

@three_easy_payments 

MC believes that posters use his posts as reference. No jokes - he honest-to-God actually believes that. 😂🤣

I trust my dealer too, I bought a Rolex for just 75.00 buck MORE. Great watch. I traded my Rolex for his Rolex, he told me it was a step up.. I only paid 12k for my Rolex. I wonder why the second hand keeps going tick tick tick...:-)

Regards

Oldheavy, they have fakes with sweep motion now.