Please judge if this toy says "brainstorm" or "green needle":
My ears are not good enough
I'm aware of the McGurk effect, I am assume using that example is to prove that no amp of any measurement quality matters on that basis?, the McGurk effect would be just as impactful if not more on a individual that has been told, or reads that a particular amp measures extremely well, you could well likely hear those improvements or they could at least embellish your listening experience, it works both ways, I guess it depends on how far you want to go down the rabbit hole, I prefer to float between both camps of science and subjectivity, measurements are of course extremely important, but they are being filtered and interpreted by human beings which are an analog based lifeform, and there's a lot of baggage that comes with that.
For me music is a very emotional experience so I tend to follow my heart a little more than the science, but the science is never discounted, if something sounds a little better with distortion then sometimes I'm ok with that, but I'd never suggest that would be a better listening experience for everyone, and it certainly wouldn't be 'accurate'. first and foremost when introducing someone into this hobby I tell them to grab a cheap Topping amp because that might be the last amp you buy, I'm not on this planet to convert people, just share knowledge and information.