Well I agree that using data from analysis of the Crack amp would not be sufficient to create a VST plugin (or other modeling software) to accurately simulate what the Crack does to a signal going through it into a headphone. When I say "accurately" I mean, such that taking the signal from the Crack and the signal from the simulation, matching their levels exactly, inverting the phase of one signal then mixing them would NOT result in a total null.
But I bet a skillful coder could create a DSP algorithm that listeners could not accurately tell apart in blind tests from the actual Crack amp.
But that isn't really about subjectivist vs objectivist, the argument that gets so many audiophiles riled up-
The value of objective analysis of the electronic properties of a HiFi component is that by using the same objective tests and standards, a buyer or user can get some idea of the way the thing will sound when used for it's intended purpose. The lower the noise, the lower the various kinds of distortions, the greater similarity in the way the component will interact with other components - the closer the gear will come to sounding the same. I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that no golden-ear audiophile can reliably hear the difference between the top-level DACs tested on this site. If they COULD hear the difference in blind tests, that means we are not measuring some aspect of electronic performance that is important to the sound.
With gear that measures close to perfection, you have more assurance that if you bought it, the device would be suitable to task and produce satisfying results. Otherwise you'd have to spend time listening to various components in order to find what you need. These days, it is very hard to go to a retailer and listen to DACs or amps...
Now there are components that we can measure but which sound very different even if the measurements are close to identical - that is transducers like speakers, headphones, phono pickups and microphones. Amirm's evolved Klippel method can tell you quite a bit about how a given box speaker will perform but his measurements don't tell you everything about the sound; the same is true for headphones. Testing of headphones and speakers can identify flawed designs and the tests can also point to units that will likely sound quite good - yet speakers that measure quite similar to one another still sound quite different, there are things we hear that are not among the things we test currently speakers for.
But again, there is value in the objective tests because they are comparing products - headphones, speakers - with a common yardstick that enables a more informed choice for consumers when buying gear. You can start by listening to products that measure well, and go from there.
With a product like the Crack which some people may like in spite of it's technical shortcomings- or maybe BECAUSE of them- you really have to try one out to see if it sounds the way you want. Testing provides little guidance.
