Thanks rvpiano, for a thought-provoking topic,
Growing up in a musical extended family, non-musical sounds always defeat the belief for me. Once digital touched my emotions in the later 90's, begone! SOTA Star Sapphire (including Allen Perkins upgrades. After a system is fully tuned (see nearby 'The hunt is over.." topic comments) and on nights where the planets align, yes there are those moments for me of bringing in the performances. Feat's 'Waiting for Columbus' is an earlier mention. At the University of Alabama's 1970's performance, I took lots of time to crawl around the arena and soak in as much of the sonics as possible, somehow knowing this is the best rock will ever get for me. Recently, it was fun to note that John Atkinson of Phile uses "Fat Man in the Bathtub" as an evaluation tool from "Waiting...," as do I. Also agree that solo sax and piano can perform the live in the room trick. Mostly though, when satisfied with the system and after deciding upon the genre, it becomes meditative, thoughts drifting along with the performances, a wonderful part of living with a modern system's abilities to be present. Mostly, I end those nights with gratitude for the many friends, including Techs that helped with the process. More Peace, Pin