I too find it interesting that when I listen to live music and then within a day to 'audiophile' components, there is a huge disconnect. I don't even want to sit and listen. Accurate isn't about lean and detailed. I'm going with Vandy's because of this reason. I get plenty of real detail, but even so many of the esoteric stuff I've heard recently is just so etched. It's subtle and most don't realize it, but I never see people putting on more than a few cuts to listen to.