Limited to aural considerations only, I like listening to recorded music through my system more than the majority of my live experiences. I think the goal of the whole music reproduction continuum is to please me in my living room, or my car. It would also be nice if it pleased you too, so as to lower my costs, and increase the joy in the universe.
To hear what the microphones heard?
Do you think that's the ultimate goal of sound reproduction? Or to hear what the ears would've heard if they'd been there at the time and place of the event? Not quite the same thing in reality. Perhaps our systems and rooms should be able to compensate the loss somehow without distorting the original picture. Your thoughts? Let's consider only unamplified acoustic instruments.