The “They are here” vs “You are there” sound topic

kenjit

800 Hz down covers a broad spectrum of instrument fundamentals but those same instruments will never sound real without their 2nd and 3rd order harmonics.  Instruments are not one pitch wonders and need every overtone to create their timbre.  As Duke noted above your definition of tonality is different than the rest of us which makes it hard to understand what you are referring to or eluding to.  You can’t make speakers sound right if only the fundamentals are addressed.  In turn the upper frequencies are crucial to the accurate portrayal of timbre.  

In my opinion, most of it is recording centric. If you want a true "You are There" feeling get great headphones and biaural recordings. 

There next best is anything recorded with ambient mics adding some concert hall reverberations and audience noise. 

In my opinion dipoles give the best liveness to recordings. I don't dampen rear walls but I do move them into the room some. 

Back in the day a pair of Infinity 4.5's and a large room with biamplification and massive amps was one path that consistently got me there. Another was a pair a Maggie IIR's with a pair of Duntech Thor subs. This was also in a very large space. 

I recall playing Roger Waters Raido Chaos and consistently stopping my host to ask if his dog was ok when the dog on the album barks. He said it was the biggest compliment anyone ever gave his system. It happened multiple times. I just couldn't distinguish the bark from reality. It sounded like a dog in distress. (this happened on the Maggie's)

If you close your eyes there should be no difference whatsoever between “you are there” and “they are here.” At the same time most systems are so well, unrevealing - is that too harsh a word? - that the question is actually moot. You’re certainly not there for recordings that are not recorded live. There is no there there. Hel-loo!

I am glad to learn that my low cost tweaked system is not unrevealing...:)

Recorded live events mostly, but also churches spaces gives me the impression " to be there"... Because some spatial cues coming from the recordings vindicate my own room cues, especially in nearfield listening...

But I have this impression also to feel a great space encompassing my room or replacing it in regular listening distance...This immersive impression was in my audio system only after my advanced modification of the central breaker panel and the introduction of many Schumann generator with many thin golden plate+liliputian Herkimer diamond...

Otherwise in studio recordings "they are here" in an off beat virtual space most of the times ...