I have always considered myself to be a quasi-audiophile. I love good sound but will only pay for obvious differences. I am well aware that companies have a competitive price point in their products where they put forth their best effort. From that price point up you start getting diminished returns in their line. I remember hearing these 20k italian speakers, with leather and made out of who knows what exotic material. They were being fed by Krell amps and preamps. I was so excited to hear the top of the line in audio. Man was I dissapointed!!! I was never made so aware of the point of diminishing returns. My "crappy" system in my humble opinion sounding at least as good. Great link Gonk it was a very interesting read.

If the theory holds that a blind test does NOT work because you need time with a piece of equipment in a relaxed environment, that definitely sounds like a doable test. Hopefully someone tries it. Conceal the equipment in a generic box with only the cables exposed and a universal remote. Let the person have it for X amount of time in their home. Replace with box 2.