..........Sound production does come down to voicing. Some amps I have sound better (to me) with same source and speakers. Why is it that there is over emphasis on numbers?
This thread started when I read this post
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/hardware-mods-the-ugly-story.3619/
........I have heard to modwright modded oppo blu-ray players, they probably do not measure greatly but they definitely sound very good compared to non-modded. But again, this is all perception.
Thank you for starting this thread and posting the link. My take on the linked article is I think totally at odds with yours.
Very few modders tweak products to change the voicing knowing it will negatively impact accuracy & measurement. Even fewer would admit to it in their sales pitch. Instead they will talk about how their upgraded improved components produce even greater fidelity, a more accurate reproduction that go beyond what we currently can measure. "We're making it better in ways we cannot yet understand" not "We're making it worse but more pleasing"
It DOEs sound better to the new owners because they have invested in the mod (monetarily and intellectually). This does not make them stupid, it is how our minds work.
This is what solderdude's much repped post #2 is talking about. To go back to your 1st post...If you did not know what "Class D" meant or that an amp had it, it will sound different to you than if you do. In most cases we get what we expect. Certainly a gorgeously constructed Levinson amp may be audibly different from a new Class D, but if it is, that would show up in measurement.
Our perception of that difference is a whole new thing. It is a combination of what we actually hear, and how we feel about the product. If an amp measures perfectly, then what class it is will not impact a blind test. It will only impact sighted tests where you know the technology and have an opinion on it.
That said...
all of our normal listening is sighted. I just got a JDS Atom headphone amp that measures almost perfect...and to no surprise it sounds great to me. How could it not. But I also just got a Loxjie P20 (part of bravomail's dredded SMSL/Sabaj family). It is a tube hybrid design, and because of that it will almost certainly measure worse. However, I like tubes, I expect them to sound warmer and more musical. This one sounds great to me. I will not be surprised when Amirm's measurements show it is not perfect. When I see the measurements I will have a better idea of whether my positive opinion of the P20's sound comes more from my ears or my preconceptions. If it measures perfectly, the warm sound is all in my head. If not, perhaps I hear some of it. That's fine, I like the tube glow.