I do largely agree but would perhaps switch prep with machine.
Only because I’m again (to sound like a stick record) going to back the effect of intra-shot temperature stability. The most dramatic example of this is something like an entry level non-PID machine where the shot may well start at 96c but doesn’t stay at that temp as the shot starts flowing. I do think a lot of people would taste a stark difference between that and a shot with a very stable temp.
Also for those who use it, levers and profiling can have an impact, although not always necessarily an improvement.
The biggest challenge for me the past six months has been finding good beans… falling at the first hurdle!