Is anyone willing to entertain the idea

How about some "audiophile grade" Q-Tips?

No, I'm serious (not about the "audiophile grade" part ;~)) but I know from experience that ear care/hygiene is very important for optimum hearing/listening. Here are a couple of things I learned:

A mixture of half and half white vinegar and isopropyl alchohol. Dampen a Q-Tip and swab the inside of your ear canal (dont jamb it up against your eardrum!) This solution kills most fungi (great after swimming) and removes wax and oils. The vinegar is an antiseptic and the alcohol dries out any remaining moisture and stimulates blood flow.

Another one is ear massage. Grab your earlobe(s) and pull down as you gently move it forward and backward. This stretches the muscles of the inner ear and makes them more pliable increasing sensitivity. Then, grab the top edge of your ear a little bit toward the rear, and pull it straight up and then fold it down and forward over the rest of the ear and stretch lightly. Repeat a few times. It feels good and you'll hear better.

A free upgrade!!

Newbee, I agree that it isn't necessarily simple in all cases to audition everything possible, particularly when purchases are involved that can be expensive.

I fully understand that, and of course I have the same predicament as all audiophiles in that regard.

I haven't listened to everything, and I have no way of knowing if there are things out there that may drastically exceed any product that I now own in my system. In fact, there probably are such things out there.

So, here's what I do.
I make every step that I possibly can to determine the veracity of certain claims that I may read or hear. If the claims seem to be somewhat possible for validity, then if the item is within my purchasing budget, and I am ready to do an upgrade, I try it.

Many manufacturers today have ways to try out their gear in your own home, as a trial. They may require payment up front, but if a refund can be provided after a reasonable listening trial, then your risk is minimized.

I use technical data and measurements in my own decisions, and I don't make light of their usefulness, to a point. But, I'm careful not to over-emphasize their usefulness, because it has become apparent to me that not everything in an audio system has a proper measurement protocol, and some things are not even considered in any currently existing measurment protocols.

So,for example, if I see that some preamp has an obvious impedance mismatch for my system, by a measurement spec, of course I am not going to consider that as a viable candidate for my system, unless I'm totally re-doing the whole system and can build around that item. Or if I have a 2-watt SET amp, I'm not going to consider some 82db/watt low-efficiency electrostatic speakers. So for "coarse" decisions, that method will work just fine to narrow down the pack somewhat. The measurements are quite useful for that purpose.

However, the dilemma occurs when there are numerous items that may spec out very similar, or everything measuring below what is generally considered the "threshold of perception". At that point, it becomes more subjective, because you go into "uncharted territory" that may be beyond what the specs can tell you.
Most of my equipment would be considered "unacceptable specs" to many audiophiles. Yet, to me it sounds better than anything else I've heard in all my 35 years of being an audiophile, inside and outside the industry. How could that be? I think it is because there is more to making a system than is normally considered, and that some "general rules" of audio are not always correct in all circumstances, and that specs can only take you just "so far".

In order to maintain my sanity, I simply make a good effort to check out what may be within my budget, and select items that sound good enough in the context of my system, for my desires. Then I just enjoy what I have. I don't go looking for products again, until I am budgeted for a reasonable upgrade from what I have presently.

Maybe others do things differently, but this works for me.

Do I imagine 50% of what I'm hearing? I don't know, but I rather doubt it. Regardless, I'm happy with what I'm hearing, and truthfully, to me and my audio system, nothing else really matters beyond that.

Would like to contribute: certain supplements improve my hearing. Some are mentioned on invite's radio program.