"Music here is no more only melody, rythm, harmonies, but also a potential "story" displayed in visible forms."The late Harry Person of TAS fame called it "The Holy Grail." It has to do with recreating the actual event either recorded live or in the studio.
I first heard the phenomenon years ago at an audio show while visiting Randy Cooley’s "Optimal Enchantment" room. It was a Ravel trio recording, simply played, all laid out in three-dimensional relief. It was as though the performers were actually there with no speakers or electronics involved. I set that sound as the goal for my system.
Fast forward to today ... On the best recordings, I’ve actually surpassed the sound I heard in Randy’s room. On a good night, with a great recording, the performance just unfolds before the listener with all veils having fallen away.
Once this level of resolving sound reproduction has been attained, the hobby can be enjoyed on a completely different level. It is no longer about "sound," and becomes all about the event.
Some of you may have Herbie Mann’s "Live At The Village Gate" recording. Or perhaps Cannonball Adderley’s "Know What I Mean." These recordings place you "right there."
Good vocal recordings are the same way, placing the vocalist in front of you with such tactile presence, that it is as though you can reach out and touch them. They not only give sound, but they present the performer’s personality and dare I say it ... facial expressions.
Good choral recordings have each voice delineated into individual performers. Instrumentals have each instrument separate from one another, and tonally correct.
It has taken me years to develop a system that does all of the above, involving much trial and error. Most of the improvement has been through tweaking and NOT through upgrading speakers and/or electronics.
Snake-oil, my ass.
Frank