Speakers that are very accurate sounding but don't produce an emotional connection.

Great topic sunnyjim, with a lot to of interesting and informative responses. After way too many years of pursuing the audiophile nirvana of uber resolution, detail and precision I'm enjoying a more "real" sound that emphasizes dynamics, tone and presence....i.e., recreating a live performance. Obviously what constitutes a live performance will be different for everyone and I'm not advocating one type of sound or system over another but sunnyjim hit the nail on the head for me......an emotional and engaging sound instead of a clinically accurate sound. Whether I'll achieve it or not remains to be seen, but Jeff Days blog has me pointed in the right direction with vintage WE14ga speaker wire and Belden 8402 interconnects and I absolutely love the sound from them. Vintage RCA tubes for my pre amp are on the way with  vintage tube amps and Altec speakers on the horizon. The vintage gear appeals to me for a number of reasons. They seem to impart that involving, emotional connection to music. They're relatively affordable.....and they're as old as I am!  I'm not saying vintage gear is the only way to achieve an emotionally engaging sound, it's just the way the appeals to my sensibilities and pocket book. Many years ago a local audio specialist asked me whether I was looking to enjoy music or sound. I didn't really understand the question all those years ago and only recently have, hence this topic hitting home with me. There's no right or wrong....good or bad....just whatever makes you happy. I enjoyed the so called audiophile sound for many, many years and now I'm not enjoying a more live, emotionally engaging, real sound. It's all good!

not just speakers, but also electronics that measure well but don't sound very good regardless of other equipment...measurements can only do so much...

Rather than thinking in terms of accuracy, I prefer to simply think in terms of sound signature. Because every speaker, no matter how transparent it was designed to be, is just giving you an impression of the music. And that impression either appeals to you, or it doesn’t (and that’s not even getting into the fact that the sound signature, in real-world situations, can’t be separated from the user’s listening environment).

Here’s the problem with thinking in terms of "accuracy"...if you think about it in terms of "accuracy", and you truly believe the speakers are "accurate" and you don’t like what’s coming out, then you either have to move to a new house, find a new band to listen to, or lobby the band to hire a new recording engineer for their next album (some people will say there’s a fourth choice, getting new equipment, but I think that’s too frequently cart-before-horse). Using an analogy to illustrate the "accuracy" fallacy - if you believed your kitchen windows were perfectly clean and spotless, and you didn’t like the view, would you go buy new windows?

So I don’t think of speakers that way - they can never be truly spotless windows, rather they’re paintings that give me a view to the outside world. I also completely avoid the whole "musical" and "magical" thing because for me personally those adjectives aren’t describing the speakers, they’re describing MY emotional response to that speaker designer’s impression of the music, and that is entirely personal and can change from listener to listener, room to room, even day to day.

I am enjoying my Audio Refinement separates with some ProAc Studio 125s on loan until my ProAc Studio 148s arrive.  Most engaging sound I've heard.  Took me a while to get here...

Thank you Charles.

Good OP and many good responses.
+1 with Nonoise on audiophiles being able to put together systems at any price level that can and do avoid the issue.

Merry Christmas, all!