I hate to bring in Steves system and so will not comment directly on it. I am sure it sounds fantastic. I too own SET amps, and fully understand how they work, my avatar thingy is an ultra cheap and simple pubished design in Glass Audio. And, however, although you have heard real music in a studio setting and know what real music sounds like, I too hear live unamplified music about 6 times a year, and have access to the the rear of the stage with amplified music so I can hear things in more their natural state sometimes as well.
Having said that, I am also aware of the effects of harmonics generated by electronics and phase shift by transformers and dynamics generated by transformers, and SET amps do not duplicate the recorded signal as well as solid state (the bass area is an exception of course). That they sound better to you does not mean they reveal more of the signal as much as add more to the signal in the "right" places for some tastes. That is the fact and that is why one persons idea of revealing is not the same as anothers, for example read Tims post # 11 this thread.
I don't postulate except when I don't understand, and I have not made a thorough study of outlets and so I always investigate claims made by people who hear and it is always "better" this and that when they change out something. I know that power can be lost in the outlet but until the day comes when I have time to look into this "noise floor idea" with some type of instrument, I can postulate that a clean junction at the socket would be not generating very low amplitutde noise spikes due to micro arcing but the effects of anything beyond a normal tight connection in a normal metal socket bring out my BS detector.
Technically then, one should be able to replace thier cryo super socket with a new bog standard hospital grade socket and hear a difference....I don't think so. IMO any tight socket is a good socket...but I stand open for correction with measureable data...and as always...can one hear 0.02 db of difference, etc.
When you dont understand theory (and the limits of theory) it is easy to bash theory and say it does not explain things, but then everything you hear out of your stereo is from hard, cold factual bits of metal and other chemicals put together to create the weak "stereo" illusion. Theory might not explain how your ear works but it damn well can measure (atleast the electronics portion) anything happening to the signal. Preferences are another thing. Sometimes I feel like a s SET, sometimes I don't...
Tom