When it comes to the majority of listeners, the A/B methodology idea breaks down precisely in the cases where we would want it to hold up. I’m not saying the experiments have no use, but they need to be interpreted with their limitations in mind.

I’m also not saying you shouldn’t A/B your chains or plugins when you make your music. It is good however to be aware that unconscious perception is real even for professionals. Nobody has a 100% transparent perception of how sound affects them.

Also, working professionally with the same track repeatedly introduces new blind spots as you are all aware. Just like an author cannot proof read their own text. Their brain corrects it so they don’t see the typos. Same with sound. You know this. That’s why taking a break from a mix, listening on other systems etc is a thing.