Fella is at it again:

I am saying is sit down and listen to the audio
gear as you are supposed to and trust your ears if they tell you they
hear something. Where is the word "test" there?

If a comparison is blind and level matched, then you are relying on
your ears and them alone, so why the angst? Some people use the word
test, I prefer comparison, since there is only listening for
difference.

The high end industry you speak of, is mostly myth. The knowledge on
building audio equipment is known and has been for some time. That you
did an ABX test that you yourself said did not reveal differences
should have taught you that.

Nobody can force anyone to buy or not buy expensive equipment. The
point of doing blind level matched comparisons is to discover if
there's any reason to spend more money to get better quality sound. As
it turns out, there isn't in most cases. Why that bothers so many
people is strange, since you'd think real music lovers would be pleased
to know that they can listen to their favorite music on equipment that
is within most people's budgets. That way they can afford to buy more
of their favorite music and put the money for improvements where they
really count, on speakers and/or room treatments.