Doesn't it come down to pleasing sound. The absolute sound is dependent on your ears, the venue, the position where you are seated, how many people in the audience, how the crew set-up the equipment, etc. As Heruaclitus said 2500 years ago, if you step into a river it is no longer the same river. So unless you are in Sullivan and Adler's acoustically perfect Auditorium Theartre where nearly everyseat has the same sound and everything else is equal, absolute is not absolute as defined in the opening of this thread, but is a highly variable sound. Pleasing sound while completely subjective, is a target that is attainable. That said there can be enjoyment in Chasing the Unicorn.
The Absolute Sound vs Pleasing Sound
I have changed my mind about this over the years. The absolute sound (closest to real live music) just can't be accomplished even though I have heard some spectacular systems that get close on some music. So years ago I changed my system to give me the sound I wanted. I'm much happier now and all my music collection can be enjoyed for what it is: Recorded music.