Measurements are not necessarily a validation of positive improvement and while I do not trust anyone else's single pair of ears, I might be persuaded by many temperate responses that the tweak works or does not work as advertised. Ultimately, the final determinant is whether I personally hear a difference and whether that difference improves the sound.
I have never purchased any piece of audio equipment because it measured well. I purchased it because I heard a difference that elevated my enjoyment beyond what I had before. There are tons of products with stellar measurements and none of them sound the same, so even if you could obtain measurements in support of the manufacturer's hypothesis of why his product works, that still does not address the reason why most of us are here.
I like to at least see some sort of proof about something. Here's where I'm coming from. A LONG time ago, I used to read all of the various stereo related magazines. After I got to know someone in the industry that i have some degree of respect for, he indicated and was later supported by a variety of others, that SOME of the magazines write reviews that are not much more than a regurgitation of the marketing press releases. They basically liked everything they wrote about and it was primarily because it would attract the big advertisers like Bose, Sony, etc., etc. etc. Now, I eventually stumbled on Stereophile, which DID do a certain amount of test measurements, and didn't always suck up to the mfg. I appreciated the honesty they used to have a long time ago. I know personally that some magazines and/or web site reviewers will only publish positive reviews of a product. To me, that's not honest journalism. That's just sucking up to mfg to get more money and just being another form of marketing for the mfg. I'm all about honesty and from my background, as I have some amount of technical training and have spent most of my early years around engineers, I see what THEY will do to analyze a product. I also know that listening is ultimately what it's all about, but there should be some degree of validity to the technology if it's new and not generally accepted in the industry. I had a tough time when MIT Cables first came out. I just didn't understand their products, couldn't swallow the cost, etc. But as I spent time reading technical information, it helped me understand their product better and it actually helped me in listening to the products to help me figure out if I can hear these subtle differences. So over time, I've learned. They showed measurements of different cables to point out there was a difference because up until then, I thought a cable is a cable. I know now, that isn't the case. Whether I buy their cables is another thing, but at least THEY proved by measuring that there is validity to the argument.
To go without studying technical measurements just seems a little blind to me. I also know that some companies pay employees or others to act as shills on the internet now. I won't mention which companies, but I do know that it is done from time to time and that sort of practice sickens me. Just like some reviewers write reviews to get free or heavily discounted product, so they might write a positive article, when in fact, all they were doing was trying to get something free from the mfg. That DOES happen from time to time, but they won't tell their audience this. So, when I read an article that's void of measurements, I read it with a grain of salt, I try to take time to understand the reviewers and I know that sometimes, they just don't give me the indication that I should listen to them. Some I do respect their opinion, because of their background, their testing methodology and usually they are the ones with measurements and can explain them so I can better understand. But I also look at industry people that are respected and see what experience they might have had with a product. But, i just use these resources as a means to travel through the waters, but I will always love to look at measurements as some sort of guide. But when it comes to new technology that's unproven, sorry, I need a lot more than some marketing prose that's meaningless, and a couple of people I don't know on a message blog telling me the product is great. I have friends in the industry that I know well and I trust THEIR judgement and some of them will or would tell me that a product is junk because THEY experienced it as they get products to check out all of the time, even if the product gets rave reviews in the magazines. I almost bought a pair of speakers because it was getting nothing but rave reviews and a local dealer had the product, thought it wasn't that great and they ended up not carrying the product line, but I was VERY seriously considering getting a pair. It's becoming more and more critical as more products on the market that make claims without credible measurements. Sorry, but I know better. I have just noticed that a lot of these reviewers are not giving us really honest reviews all of the time. So, I have to take the buyer beware attitude and will just trust those that I trust and would love to see some valid measurements to at least give SOME indication that it actually does something.
I'm still trying to figure out what product doesn't measure well, but is a great sounding product. If you have some examples, that would be great to hear about those examples.
That's where I'm coming from.