How Revealing Should a System Be?

Brucegel, you're absolutelly right. Pursuing an unachievable goal is meaningless unless one enjoys the process itself.
However, it would be good to have several differently sounding systems for different types of music and listener's moods. Something like having SS front end and tube DAC as an alternative, for special cases. Or vice versa.

I have been puzzled by such subject(issue) too. My recent "revised "-thought is : " Enough is ENOUGH " ( get the gears that is good enough to reproduce musical clarity and details ,yet NOT to the point of hearing the soloist's or the conductor's breathing ,which I don't really need to hear and spoiled musical enjoyment "
Again and perhaps along the line ' I can't really comphrehen the so called "neutrality " e.g " this amp /preamp is musically neutral/does'nt add or substract any sonic characters....." yet how about in actual listening session ? does my spkr,my cables;my player;and most importantly my listening room also in accordance/compatible with the amp/preamp's "neutrality " ??

Simon

Here's my thoughts (yours may conflict, or not - so caveats apply):

Improving a system does include inproving it's ability to resolve the music. I believe that many interpret this to be lightning quickness and knifelike precision. I don't. I believe that an increase in resolution means improving the palpability of the instruments. A guiter should have a wooden body ALONG with the metal string sound. A piano has a form and a resonating texture that is usually not portrayed on many systems.

I don't particularly like the new trend in metal or diamond tweeters. They sound too sharp and brittle to me. And in order to keep up with their overly quick nature, the midranges are following form, with ceramics and such. All speakers I've heard with this formula, even the expensive ones, are incredibly quick. But they don't portray the body of the instrument to my satisfaction - it isn't believable, it's too Hi-Fi.

This may be where your problem lies.

Enjoy,
Bob

In my audiophile journey, I've found that a revealing system can be both good and bad. What I enjoy is revealing MUSIC, the type that draws you into the experience and transports you to another place.

Whether a revealing or musical system accomplishes this varies from system to system, but mostly depends on the person listening and how they interpret it.

several years ago i bought a jvc boombox for the bedroom on sale (am/fm/cd/cassette). i would play hendrix, led zeppelin, madonna, boston, as well as jazz and classical from time to time.
on rock recordings the stereo imaging was incredible, and
the "heavy rock" sound was really satisfying and fairly clearly rendered. out in the "living room" where my "audio system" resides, i just don't have time to listen to crosby stills and nash's crappy mixing/mastering as much as i love the music, when i can be listening to mozart or bach. there are many killer recordings of jazz (i have a t.monk live done with a 3 ch.analog tape machine on verve) that rivals anything i've ever heard (well, almost). i've tried metallica (the "black" alblum) for fun just to see what my
"good stuff" thinks of it. it's okay, but ponderous, and i get a migraine after about 10 minutes. so maybe i can't put everything on the big system and enjoy it 100%, but that still leaves about 75% of my music collection that i can listen to. plus my tastes have changed- yes and pat benetar are giving way to allison krause and dianne krall (and metamucil).