Indeed, Neil. Especially true is your last sentence, yet many folks don't seem to 'get' it...
The reason for that, IMO, is because their ears have been conditioned for years (by manufacturers) into thinking that the sonic presentation I've described with a lot of today's kit is correct.
Therefore, it automatically follows that when you hear something which notably deviates from that, it's considered as wrong, hence not as 'accurate' - and measurements don't help in that respect either.
Marco.