This is a great topic. I am compulsive in my audio equipment purchases as many of us seem to be. I have made good and bad choices along the way. When I am at my best is when I use music as my guide and not sound. There are accurate systems that I have heard and that I have owned that reproduced sound. There are less accurate systems that I have heard and that I have owned that reproduced music. I have had short term success with the former systems and long term success with the latter systems.
I am interested in an emotional bond with the music. There are many I know who are interested in true reproduction of what went on in the studio. I do not think that it is an accomplishment to own a system so accurate that bad recordings sound awful and that a select few recordings are amazing. I am guilty of going down that path in the past and hope to stay clear of it in the future.
Also, as Sean mentioned, it is best to use your own ears as your reference. Reviewers have their own preferences as to what a great system sounds like. We all do. I have personally found every electrostatic speaker that I have heard to sound thin and bright. There are many who disagree with me and are very happy with their electrostatic speaker based systems. We all have our own listening biases. I trust mine. Trust yours.
As far as proposition #2 is concerned I lean toward system judgements by their musicality. Proposition #1 is to me about the empty feeling that some of us have because we enjoy the pursuit of perfect sound more than perfect sound itself. This will keep us searching to meet our need to keep searching. That is the burden of the audiophile.
I am interested in an emotional bond with the music. There are many I know who are interested in true reproduction of what went on in the studio. I do not think that it is an accomplishment to own a system so accurate that bad recordings sound awful and that a select few recordings are amazing. I am guilty of going down that path in the past and hope to stay clear of it in the future.
Also, as Sean mentioned, it is best to use your own ears as your reference. Reviewers have their own preferences as to what a great system sounds like. We all do. I have personally found every electrostatic speaker that I have heard to sound thin and bright. There are many who disagree with me and are very happy with their electrostatic speaker based systems. We all have our own listening biases. I trust mine. Trust yours.
As far as proposition #2 is concerned I lean toward system judgements by their musicality. Proposition #1 is to me about the empty feeling that some of us have because we enjoy the pursuit of perfect sound more than perfect sound itself. This will keep us searching to meet our need to keep searching. That is the burden of the audiophile.