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You are posing an interesting question and the answer is yes, the differences between a "premium" mirror and a mass market one can be quantified.
The related questions (and I think more important) is can "I" tell the difference and is the difference worth it to "me".
And the answer to this is probably...
If you are a serious viewing and get lots of eyepiece time and are looking for and able to differentiate small differences in the view then you will appreciate the difference (in my opinion)...
Having said that, the optical train is only as strong as the weakest link in it. I'll paraphrase (poorly and in an exagerated manner) what other people have said previously.
$50 eyepiece with a $5,000 mirror = $50 view
$1,000 eyepiece with a $500 mirro = $500 view
$1,000 eyepiece in a $5,000 mirror = Priceless view
A lot of the mass market stuff is pretty good and "nearly" (85-90%?) as good as the top end...depending on your viewing habits and targets you may not find the difference worthwhile.
The other consideration is size...a mass market 16 inch versus a premium 10 inch...who wins? And every other variation you can imagine...
The best advice that I can give you is try it and see...got to a star party and look through some high end gear and judge for yourself.
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