Onhwy61's philosophy re: recorded music pretty much reflects my own in a practical sense. Can I borrow it? Having said that, I have played both acoustic and electric guitars for 40+ years, and am particularly sensitive to the different sounds of guitar amps. BTW tube amps for guitar, eg Fender and Marshall, sound radically different than most solid state. But, having said all that, I live in the boondocks of Oregon, and the sounds I like best are: wind in the trees; surf on the beach; rain on the roof; owls at night; windstorms; thunder; foghorns in the distance; coyotes howling at night etc. Seldom are these recorded very convincingly, but there are places on a couple of CDs that definitely get our cats attention. Cheers. Craig.
What is your reference?
What is the reference by which you judge the sound of a component or a system? I see a lot of confused posts here, and listen to a lot of equipment at all price levels that sound phony, which leads me to believe that a lot of manufacturers and consumers don't really know what music sounds like. I am starting to wonder if many buyers of expensive equipment might actually prefer an artificial, hi-fi sound as opposed to something that approaches real music. I know that we are seeking a mere reproduction of the real event, so don't give me that babble about "nothing can duplicate..." That's a cop-out by those who can't hear or have given up trying. What is the aural image you have in mind when auditioning audio equipment? And what recording best represents that image?