Anecdotes from Michael Fremer, emaidel and others not withstanding I've always felt that the a limiting factor in audio system performance is often those things on the sides of people's heads. Some people seem to be born with listening ability. Listening acuity can certainly be improved with experience/training. Most people would rather watch TV than learn to listen.

None of this is going to stop me from enjoying good recording and good reproduction but it does give me perspective.