My job here is to bring that critical listening and analysis to the table. Unless the person countering that has similar qualifications, then what they say doesn't mean anything even with their own perspective. It is entirely possible and likely probable that either with equalization or another headphone they would have a better experience.
I very much enjoyed your story, let me give you one of my own!
I have a very good friend that I've known since kindergarten. We grew up together, went to high school together, stayed in touch when we went to separate colleges, and finally met back up afterward. During college, he met a wonderful girl and decided to marry her (with me as best man, of course.
). They both share a love of food and cooking, so as a gift I paid for a dinner at a three Michelin star restaurant of their choice. Now, the girl came from a tough, neglectful, very (
very) low income background, and when I asked her what her favorite dishes were (in an attempt to find a compatible restaurant with something she'd like), she didn't give me a lot to work with: meatloaf, pot roast, etc. Nothing wrong with those meals, of course, but obviously built to be made on a budget and not something you'd usually find in haute cuisine (well, I
have eaten some fun spins on old classics, but I digress). So I helped pick one out, they went, and had a blast. I got a blow by blow for at least two hours of everything they ate, all the wine pairings, and so on. She was totally over the moon. At the end, I asked her "So, what would you take, the meatloaf or that meal?" And without blinking, she said the meatloaf! And by god has she stuck to her guns; every time we go out (well, pre-pandemic) and a restaurant would have A5 grade Kobe Wagyu or whatever, she'd consider it for about two seconds before going "Oh! Chicken!" and that would be that.
The moral of my story is that we humans sometimes want the Big Mac despite better choices. Even with the benefit of perspective and experience, we can prefer the suboptimal. The guy you were with had his mind blown, but I bet we could scrounge up plenty that prefers Seattle's sushi despite going to Jiro's. But what I was driving at is there is a difference between recognizing the suboptimal and preferring it, and being shown that something is suboptimal and
denying it. The latter is where my ire lies. You are 100% correct that "It is entirely possible and likely probable that either with equalization or another headphone they would have a better experience." Absolutely. Without question. But I also contend that we can find a person's preferences, give them a set of cans that better matches what they like in all ways (or a better EQ to their existing set, as you mentioned), and then have them STILL prefer their first pick. It could be buyer's remorse, pure delusion that they have "golden ears', or simply spite, but whatever the reason, some will still pick the "wrong" choice. Hell, I bet we could blind ABX any number of people, reveal that they didn't pick what they expected to, and STILL have a few prefer to take home their old set when all is said and done!
I think we are more or less in agreement: the numbers do not lie. When presented with two options, one of which is clearly superior in every way, you should pick the superior option. And we absolutely should continue to take manufactures to task over the idea that their product is God's gift to music and beyond all reproach. I fully support you holding Abyss to the fire on this one. You put the screws to Schiit with some of their older products, and lo and behold, they have produced a bunch of gear that is objectively better engineered than in the past (coincidentally or otherwise). I think that's admirable. Hell, I'm going to toss you a few bucks to keep doing so.
I am just not bothered if someone decides to live in an alternate reality and go for the other choice, as long as they freely admit they are doing so in the face of obvious evidence that they are being a bit...well, silly. I don't have the energy to harsh someone's buzz like that anymore, as long as they don't get all cult like and start to convince others that the sky is green and gravity is just giants that live in the center of the earth who pull us down to the ground with invisible strings tied around our ankles. Some are certainly guilty of that level of absurdity. But as
@imagidominc said, you can realize the flaws of something and still value it, and I don't feel like there's any harm in that line of thinking....well, as long as you aren't trying to convince people that you are "right".
So keep on beating that drum, but point your cannons at the ones who think you are the audiophile equivalent of Satan and try to say you are somehow
wrong.
