but mostly so called golden ears are an easily acquired condition IF the wearer of them cares enough to try to hear differences that are pertinent.

when i started this trek, i could tell speakers sounded different but didnt know what was better. then a friend said to compare the sounds to the real thing and the speaker that came closer to that was the better one. well YEAH.

also, there is more than just frequency response to hear. dynamics and imaging/soundstaging are other factors to be reckoned with, hence the new popularity of some advanced horn designs (avante garde).