You can go home again

This is a fantastic question.  I know it has impacted what genres of music I prefer. I absolutely think it has affected my preferences for music reproduction. I spent my childhood around unamplified musical instruments and choirs. I didn't attend my first real rock concert until I was a teenager. Everything live before that was simple ensembles and basic amplification. The first real "stereo system" I ever heard belonged to the older brother of a friend. It was a turntable set up with home made horn speakers with big woofers. He loved progressive music (Pink Floyd, ELP, Rush, etc.) and he played it loud. It probably explains my eclectic taste in music to this day.

The system I have put together works fantastic for simple acoustical styles in live settings. It also allows me to play heavier, faster, and more layered styles just as well (at least to me).

I favor a system that reproduces live instruments/vocals as I remember hearing them as a kid and yet allows me to play progressive music really loud.  

Cheers!

Most of us accept that audio memory is very short and pretty poor.

How do professional musicians know what to play if audio memory is very short and poor? Just curious.