"And if you can't hear the difference, maybe you shouldn't be in this business!" 
The "Emperor's new clothes" phenomena exist in every artistic field, more visibly in some than in others. The irony of statements such as the sentiment you quoted is that if someone is actually in the business, hearing small differences in sound quality - real or imagined - barely make the top 10 priorities of a sound "business" - e.g. customer service, ROI calculation, equipment maintenance, client communication, issue resolution, etc.
If Al can make money by supplying whatever magic fairy dust the customer wants, then more power to him. To paraphrase JR, never try to tell a customer what they think they are or aren't hearing.
