Subjective audiophiles are more like scientists, with open minds, heightened perception, willing to allow whatever they observe, excited and fun to note new observations. They believe in the unknown and fund their own experiments to explore it. Science never concludes, and there is never, ever a "scientific consensus." If there's a consensus then it's not science. A consensus like "cables don't matter," "feedback phase doesn't matter," "audiophiles are fools." A consensus closes the discussion. It says that because most people whose opinion is judged by the bureaucracy to be valid agree that the world is flat or witches must burn then that is truth. Of course it isn't truth and that proves consensus is just closed minded religious belief.
Engineers and their closed-minded followers make these judgmental statements all the time. They work on problems using the consensus knowledge that is agreed by everyone in their field to be true. They are solving problems using the tools allowed by the system. They must work within the consensus even if it's not true. A person who can function in this world must be able to shut off the truth gene and just get 'er done without caring about truth. After 30 years of habitually filtering out scientific wonder they become incapable of using that muscle even if they want to. So they resist and become cemented to the old way of thinking and ignored by open minded scientific minds who look to the future and learning new things.
Most audio equipment is designed by engineer types, because the subjective audiophiles who contract them do not possess the engineering tools needed to make the stuff themselves. A combination of open minded visionary management and moneymen with scientists possessing engineering skills makes the best audio gear, or any other product for that matter. This is where you get the society changing products. With a culture of open minded discovery, nothing is too crazy to consider, close minded dogma is rejected. Human resources is the hardest working department in the company.