I found that, with bright/high intensity coffee, using the spouted and split the shot into two separate cups further smooth out the taste profile a bit. A very good tool to tweak the shot on the fly w/out changing the dose/grind.
 

I found that there are simply too many variable factors to be able to make a satisfactory determination without the use of sofisticated sensory instruments, extended use of equipment in a non-customer oriented environment, and someone with organizational skills well above the limited capacity of my ADD addled brain.

I was able to perform the Naked vs. Spout to 1 cup vs. Spout to 2 cups test. I did indeed find the split shot to be noticably smoother, with less brightness to body ratio. This is, of course, more annecdotal fodder for the rumor and inuendo cannon, and I will abstain from theorizing why this is, or even if others experience the same effect. But it is nice to know that the split spout smoothness is repeatalbe to some extent.
 

I am a firm believer that spouted pours are superior. At first I considered it just a texture thing, but now I believe it's in relation to actual flavor profile as well. I am not even going to begin to delve into my perceptions as to why this is (they're just wild-ass guesses anyway), but I will mention that I recognize the bottomless PF as an important training tool (It sure helped me a great deal). Having said that, I also believe that with time you can read a spouted pour just as well as a bottomless.
 

Matt,

You got it! Naked has its place... mostly as a training tool and at times when you really want to amplify certain flavor components. And you are absolutely right about learning from spouted pour. They tell different story than the naked (and vice versa), and does take a bit of time to learn.