Measurements. Not just a few, but lots and lots of measurements. That weeds out the under-performing (or non-performing) stuff.
The next step is understanding whether you have any specialized needs in you setup, like a wonky phase load or extreme power needs, or not. More weeding out.
Out of what's left, you can choose as you please.
Some people can't understand this process. They want measurements to tell them what's
best, or what they
should buy. That's backwards. That's not what the primary purpose of tests and measurements happens to be. The primary purpose of tests and measurements is to find fault, to find the weaknesses. Its purpose is not to affirm, but to reject and condemn. If something is
not condemned,
not rejected and has no fault, then it by definition performs to standards and the function is acceptable.
Look at it this way; when the doctors run you through a battery of tests, what are they looking for? They're looking for disease .... IOW, for faults. What is a radiography test looking for in welds? They're looking for weaknesses. What about testing concrete to destruction? People say that is actually testing for strength .... and in a way, it is. But the truth is that it's
testing for weakness to make sure that the weakness is above a certain level.
Ears are notoriously unreliable. Compared to instrumentation, they are extremely insensitive .... and inconsistent.
Don't let others tell you what to buy, either. They might not have the same agenda that you have, nor are they likely to listen under the same circumstances. Not only that, but many of them give you advice simply to re-affirm their own prejudices.
So in the end, the only reliable and consistent source of information is tests and measurements. Not your ears, not the dealer and not your friends. And certainly not YouTube.
Just tests and measurements.
Jim "tests and measurements" Taylor
(Sorry
@rdenney , I just couldn't resist!
)