...and now a word from your anti-sponsor...

Agreed. Best not chasing what can't be caught. Best to enjoy what is on hand.

Home entertainment should be about entertainment, not trying to replicate the impossible.

I think Greenwood is right on comment.

I think "real" is an off-putting word. When I was a kid, I enjoyed the best 60s bands on a 8 track and transistor radio. The bands were as real then as if I played them on my current system. I derived the same amount of listening pleasure. The songs were captured as a moment in time, and I felt affinity to the artist.

I have never desired a perfect replication of the artist, and cherish all the imperfections that are a constant of watching bands play live every night. Both the recorded work and a live performance are worlds apart.

I have been around live gigs all my life and have never ever thought that a home stereo could replicate the notion of an artist being "live" in your living or listening room.
I get annoyed when I see "audiophiles" claim that they can get this intimacy from speakers that sell for a cheap condo.

Having done 3,000 gigs in my life, very few actually sound good. I can count a handful of great sounding gigs where everything was the best it could be sonically.

I have heard many speakers though that are balanced at low volumes. I am a big fan of Harbeth, ATC, Neat, DeVore and Pioneer TAD speakers which I think support long listening sessions with recorded material that is "musical" versus "lively." I just don't think that any consumer is fair to say that the best Wilsons or Magicos are equal to the soundsystems we use at a venue. I have never seen a consumer grade speaker remotely capture the bass and "air" that comes from a PA.