What you seem to ignore is the relatively large community that is now using tubes, and particularly SETs, despite their objectively much worse measurements and horns, which would horrify the Harman researchers. Why if the science suggests soemthing very different according to you? Clearly people, and I might add it is usually the most experienced people, are migrating this direction because they have tried the path you advocate and found it lacking in what they get from live music. You can call that anecdotal and it often doesn't compute for short term studies but when you see a large migration it is not due to imagination.
Shocking, simply shocking. Wink.
I think the response will be that there is no accounting for taste, which is preference. Can't argue over it.