Recreating an exact acoustic analog of the original performance is a very noble-sounding goal, but is not possible at the current state of the art for most performances.
A much more practical goal would be this: To recreate the same PERCEPTION as would be experienced by a listener at the original performance. To do this requires the application of acoustic and psychoacoustic principles, some of which are well established, some relatively new discoveries, and perhaps some as yet undiscovered. Yet creating a perceptual replica is much more feasible than creating an actual acoustic replica.
I would say that tonal balance is the most important issue in recreating the perceptual replica, noting that the on-axis anechoic frequency response curve does not reliably predict perceived tonal balance. Tonal balance is of primary importance to timbral accuracy. I am not saying it's the only thing that matters, but it is I believe among the top few.
I have lived for years with time-and-phase correct loudspeakers, but based on my listening experiences would not claim that time-and-phase correctness is of primary importance in recreating the perception of a live performance. My understanding is that the current state-of-the-art in hearing mechanism theory discounts the audibility of phase above roughly 1000 Hz.
A much more practical goal would be this: To recreate the same PERCEPTION as would be experienced by a listener at the original performance. To do this requires the application of acoustic and psychoacoustic principles, some of which are well established, some relatively new discoveries, and perhaps some as yet undiscovered. Yet creating a perceptual replica is much more feasible than creating an actual acoustic replica.
I would say that tonal balance is the most important issue in recreating the perceptual replica, noting that the on-axis anechoic frequency response curve does not reliably predict perceived tonal balance. Tonal balance is of primary importance to timbral accuracy. I am not saying it's the only thing that matters, but it is I believe among the top few.
I have lived for years with time-and-phase correct loudspeakers, but based on my listening experiences would not claim that time-and-phase correctness is of primary importance in recreating the perception of a live performance. My understanding is that the current state-of-the-art in hearing mechanism theory discounts the audibility of phase above roughly 1000 Hz.