Great link.
_______________________________________________________________
Let me tell you something....
I never really listened to headphones when growing up. I listened to music through my Sony hifi all the time instead.
To me it was the best hifi in the world. But one day whilst browsing the hifi section of amazon, i came across a pair of headphones,. I was 18 and naive, knowing nothing about the technical side of audio components and devices. All i thought was " wow they look good" and bought 'em. They where $900 Denons. So being so expensive, i was pretty much expecting to get the band with them. The first time i listened to them - to say i was blown away is a terrible understatement! It was a genuine memorable moment similiar to a first kiss or something. A moment like that from a pair of headphones!!
It sparked a lifelong interest in headphones which sparked an interest in amps and...well you can guess. So here i am today, a self proclaimed audiophile and many years of experience and accumulated knowledge. And still....nothing compares to those old Denon's...( all my other headphones are less than half the price of the Denon's).
Sadly, placebo exists...but it exists on different levels. An expensive headphone cited above has the capacity to fill you with wonder...you cannot get that with a cheap one. I can say the same about amps too - i own a $3,000 Linn amp, i wouldn't even compare it to a $200 one. Only in this sentence.
Most of it is subjective unless your willing to spend serious dough...then the truth reveals itself.
________________________________________________________________
Quote from thread starters link:
“But for now, the evidence would seem to suggest that distinctive amplifier sounds, if they exist at all, are so minute that they form a poor basis for choosing one amplifier over another. Certainly there are still differences between amps, but we are unlikely to hear them.”
I bet if this guy heard the most expensive audio system in the world (dcs) he would take that back.