Don't we have to start with how the recording was recorded? Some audiophile records and some classical and jazz records were set up to get a pretty natural perspective on the proceedings. (Simple two track recordings of a blues band, or man + guitar can be riveting-I'm thinking here of Hoodoo Man Blues or Chris Whitley's Dirt Floor). When I listened through Quad electrostats, (for decades), all that sort of thing sounded good, but it failed on bigger orchestral or hard rock (scale and dynamics). In addition, a lot of stuff is gimmicked in the process from the event (if there was one) to the finished product. So, there isn't necessarily anything 'natural' about the recording itself to begin with, but the trickery may be necessary to better create the illusion at home.
I don't want to confine myself just to stuff that sounds good, or to one type of music- I can go from reggae to cello music to progressive rock to whatever. I want all of it to sound as good as possible at home. And in each case, the recordings dictate what I'm hearing, at least from the standpoint of "perspective." Getting piano to sound 'right' is really hard; far less weight, power and fewer harmonics if recorded with other instruments in a natural perspective- think about how much better it sounds when things are less congested and only the piano is playing. Or close-miking, which gives you the 'in your face' qualities of being almost inside the piano, but all perspective is lost- it sounds too big and too close. I think that all gets manipulated through multi-miking and mixing (along with EQ) so what the recording is doing isn't exactly "accurate" but the process makes it sound more real in some ways. But the perspective, up front or laid back, really starts with the recording, doesn't it (along with the processing it goes through)?
And, I do like my hard rock to be punchy! :)
I don't want to confine myself just to stuff that sounds good, or to one type of music- I can go from reggae to cello music to progressive rock to whatever. I want all of it to sound as good as possible at home. And in each case, the recordings dictate what I'm hearing, at least from the standpoint of "perspective." Getting piano to sound 'right' is really hard; far less weight, power and fewer harmonics if recorded with other instruments in a natural perspective- think about how much better it sounds when things are less congested and only the piano is playing. Or close-miking, which gives you the 'in your face' qualities of being almost inside the piano, but all perspective is lost- it sounds too big and too close. I think that all gets manipulated through multi-miking and mixing (along with EQ) so what the recording is doing isn't exactly "accurate" but the process makes it sound more real in some ways. But the perspective, up front or laid back, really starts with the recording, doesn't it (along with the processing it goes through)?
And, I do like my hard rock to be punchy! :)