I am not aware of any peer-reviewed published research (i.e. serious) showing the precise correlation between how distortion in hifi electronics is propagated through the loudspeaker or headphone drivers, then into our hearing mechanisms, and how that is interpreted by our brains.
Until we have that, claims about what we should be hearing are just that, claims. Measurements are nice, but they are not absolutes.
Until things improve, It’s really best to make final judgements based on what you hear yourself.
That was not a blind test. You should have actually read the article. People under test were told that distortion was going to be added, and they should tell when they heard something off with the sound.
There was no amp A vs. amp B, or speaker C vs. speaker D thing, with people having an agenda to push.
Science cannot tell what you hear. Science, by the means of statistics, can predict what the majority would hear.
And yes, there have been plenty of A/B tests done (plenty posted within this forum as well), with respectable organizations behind, which debunked many of the myths going around.
Unfortunately A/B stands to VooDoo science, like sunlight to vampires