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I appreciate your review and final observations Defiant00, thanks! However, don't you have to chalk your final decision up to some subjective bias?
Given in your blind testing you couldn't statistically tell them apart but in your final Real Conclusion you said there is a "slight treble etch".
If so, couldn't you then in your blind testing have detected that treble etch to more accurately identify the M&M combo?
Oh absolutely, part of this is definitely subjective, and I can fully confirm that to some extent I like the B&A more just because it was my first good setup and I think it looks better (I don't have an aluminum fetish, I swear!).
I keep trying to write detailed explanations but end up bogged down, so let's try this again in a more casual manner.
Since I wasn't able to instantly switch between stacks and have full control of the music I think the blind test ultimately was at least as much a test of my auditory memory (which is horrible) as it was an actual test of the stacks. I think it was useful in that it demonstrated that they are at least quite similar (no huge glaring issues that made one or the other easily identifiable), but since it required me to try and memorize 30+ seconds of music and then listen for differences after a few second delay I would never claim that it's absolute proof that they are identical, just that they are close enough that my memory is the weak point.
But ultimately though, what it eventually came down to was that during this past week I just found myself not enjoying my music (and using headphones in general) as much. There were a couple songs in my test tracks (incidentally, my test tracks for the most part are songs that I really like and that also happen to be a good example of something I want to test, not just chosen for some sonic trait) that I started skipping because I wasn't finding them as engaging, and one that was actually sounding a bit disjoint (sounded a little like a bunch of separate instruments instead of a song at times). I also found that when watching a couple YouTube channels that I frequent that I was now finding them a little sibilant where (as far as I can recall) I had never felt that way previously.
It's certainly possible that all or part of this is expectation bias, but ultimately for me it's all about enjoying the music, hence my decision.
Oh, and don't think this is negative for the M&M either, taken on their own they sound remarkably good and I would definitely recommend them, I just enjoy the B&A a little bit more, and that's more or less what this hobby is all about.
