I'd like to have my say. I followed the thread from the beginning and now I'm lost in a sea of fog. I understand the intention, and all the measures, but all those X;Y;Z or A;B;C or C;A;B etc I think are confusing to mere mortals who aren't sound engineers. To have a clearer idea for everyone, wouldn't a pure and simple review based on a real listening test be better?
I try to explain what I mean.
Since we are talking about Pro and Pro+ I would leave the Mini aside. It has nothing to do with them. One less.
I would choose an album that I know well. Very well. By heart. So I would choose a track. At this point I would play the track over and over on the Pro and Pro+ trying to catch the differences. Once this is done, I would announce the results of the listening regarding the two devices.
Pro + vs Pro. How does the Pro+ compare to the Pro in the following fields?
Soundstage (Widht/Depth)
Channel Separation
Dynamic
Transients
Highs
Mids
Bass
Reproduction at band edges (Sub Bass/heights). There is some cut off in extreme highs?
Voices
General Sound Signature (Cooler? Warmer?)
I think this would help everyone. Even those who don't eat measurements for breakfast.
I know, the result would be a personal impression, but all the reviews are. Any review is the result of the reviewer's experience, ears, tastes and equipment. It is however a starting point. You can share it or not, but it's something.
You can then compare different reviews to get a broader basis and draw your own conclusions.
If, for example, four out of 5 reviewers agree, there's a good chance that what they say is at least close enough to reality.
Since it is not always possible to find the devices in physical stores (too many devices and of too many categories to hope to be able to find them all) the only solution is to buy online. However, it is a blind purchase and here, before buying, it can be useful to read and compare the reviews or blogs concerning the item I would like to buy.
Obviously this is my thought. Debatable, of course, as long as you want.