Great article, Alex. I have first-hand experience with both NuPrime and Anthem. As a speaker designer, one of my jobs is attempting blowing things up. Luckily for me, my damage is 'research' and as such, a write-off. I don't suggest it! That said, I was at a show with John Casler and we auditioned a number of speaker and line level cables to get the sound right. (We used NuPrime at that show - suprise!) Both John and I heard terrible cables, good to great cables, and then one - that was "the one" by a landslide. So your observation is accurate. Sometimes something stands out and even a non-audiophile can hear the difference like a ton of bricks falling on their head.
That said, I like to design into the very low frequencies. I have pissed off many an amplifier including both NuPrime and Anthem in the process. I have to say that the Anthem is more stable when tortured than the NuPrime - but that can't be the only reason we make a choice. And in defense of all amp creators - my tests are severe abuse beyond what an end-user would do.
At this point, we're not only choosing the best of wines - we can tell the difference between years, even the section of the vineyard that grew the grapes.
At this point in my life, a good speaker mated with a complementary amplifier borders on a sexual experience. The EVO never disappoints!
