I grew up playing in orchestras, so I was around the sounds of instruments for years - nearby and all around me. Judging the sound of an audio system is easy for me: How much does that sax sound like the real thing? Is it sitting there off to the right 8 feet away, or is a facsimile spread all over the sound stage? When all the instruments play together in a crescendo, can I still clearly identify each one and where it is?
This is much the same theory that spawned the magazine title "The Absolute Sound." Forget the personalities involved at the mag. It was the concept - that we should strive for our systems (and recordings) to recreate the live performance as best they can.
My suggestion is to get out and listen to live music as much as you can. The more you do, the more confident (or disappointed) you'll be in your system.
This is much the same theory that spawned the magazine title "The Absolute Sound." Forget the personalities involved at the mag. It was the concept - that we should strive for our systems (and recordings) to recreate the live performance as best they can.
My suggestion is to get out and listen to live music as much as you can. The more you do, the more confident (or disappointed) you'll be in your system.