How do you know what you're missing?

@cat_doorman 

i have absolutely no idea what your point is, but i did just scoop myself some chocolate ice cream

your fault  :)

@cat_doorman

you seem to know enough to discern among the various and sundry commentary you are receiving on this post

some folks have strongly held beliefs, right or wrong... sometimes stated repetitively and with blunt force, which, actually is counterproductive to getting the point across effectively

good luck, happy listening

steakster

not saying you are imagining things... or that clean power matters greatly in your system sounding great

we don’t know the op’s future system, do we? or how much clean power would matter to it...

@steakster 

i would say clean power is a necessary, but not a singularly sufficient condition for the excellent hifi sound you describe

good to see miller back to his old form  :)

very good, thought provoking question

i have a few different thoughts it spurs

1) the objective to hifi is not to make it sound like live music necessarily, it is to make it sound realistic, but 'realism' is defined in the eye of the beholder -- so you do need to hear different systems and ideally, have owners describe to you what they feel sounds good about it, and see if you gree (that's why good brick and mortar stores are so important, as well as hifi shows, and local hifi nerd friends and local audio societies etc etc)... i realize these may still be out of reach for many depending on where they live etc etc

2) it is important to try to hear live music in as many form as you can (not amplified), even a street performer singing, playing a saxophone, or a high school performance, or a church choir - remember what the sound of a live voice, a live instrument, sounds like - that purity of tone, how notes rise and decay, no harshness no grain or grit...  is what a good hifi should be reproducing

3) it is easy to fall into 2 traps -

first, that super-clarity and extreme detail is more real and good... that is a 'hifi' creation... real music is not hyperdetailed and disaggregated, it is cohesive and natural; 

second, you should listen enough to define what you like, the sound you like -- don't read reviews or watch you tube videos and let other people define that for you -- for example, some people want their hifi to sound like a rihanna or bonjovi concert... well what you hear at those concerts are huge harsh solid state amps driving huge horn loaded speakers designed to fill a stadium... i would not call that the sound of real music, but you might, and there is nothing wrong with that...

good luck and have fun