Detailed sound? Real?


I have read about many audiophiles wanting more detail and air around the instruments to improve realism. usually, when i hear a system with these qualities, the sound is almost always thin and fatiguing. When I hear live music, it never sounds like air around the instruments and detailed. Most detailed systems sound way too detailed. When i hear live music, there is a sense of air, but not around the instruments. Actually, many times it sounds natural and mono. It seems to me that detailed systems are probably the most unrealistic in audio. Yesterday I heard a live performance of a piano and sax. The piano was so muffled sounding, much more so than on any system I have recently heard. The sax sounded more detailed, but still not like the stereos portray it. I think the secret to listening is to find something that sounds good and that you can listen to without fatigue. Natural Timbre, color and good bass, not overblown but good, gets you closer to the real thing IMHO
tzh21y
Well guys, I have my own thoughts on this. I believe the recording and playback is an art form of it's own. It cannot be compared to live music in any way. I've never be fooled into thinking I'm sitting in front of a full symphony orchestra. That's OK because I enjoy my system for what it is, a recorded music playback system, nothing more.

Thanx, Russ
Buying a cd of Elina Garanca is as close as I am going to get to her singing in my music room.

Is it or is it not the reason we spend bazillions of the Saudi 'Riyal' or Chinese 'Renminbi'
on our impossible to achieve but fun trying hobby that we do indeed want our systems to give us as the musical illusion/experience that we are listening to live music with real instruments and vocals in our personal settings?
Obviously we can't faithfully no matter how hard we try immulate the LSO sound wise or loudness wise in our small sized rooms.
the reasons for having a stereo system are numerous. creating anything approaching reality is not one of them