I know that my Levinson system can sound subtle and stealthy especially when I play the soundtrack Sneakers. (If you haven't heard this yet your in for a treat!) Here I am in that musically induced Zen state listening to the subtleness and microdynamics of the system when Wham! I'm knocked back in my seat by dynamic drum and piano that remind me,"Yeah, this is what I'm paying for! while being musically transported to another place.
When I reflect on these "HiFi" comments that seek to put down other brands of equipment, I can't help but comparing the sounds I hear at a "live" performance and sadly all audio equipment and systems that I've heard, have got a long way to come before they sound like the "real thing".
In my experience, most good systems sound more alike than different as most audio engineers strive to make their components "the absolute sound". What sets some systems over the edge is the owner's perserverence to tweak their system's setup over a period of years instead of trading equipment once a month.
When I reflect on these "HiFi" comments that seek to put down other brands of equipment, I can't help but comparing the sounds I hear at a "live" performance and sadly all audio equipment and systems that I've heard, have got a long way to come before they sound like the "real thing".
In my experience, most good systems sound more alike than different as most audio engineers strive to make their components "the absolute sound". What sets some systems over the edge is the owner's perserverence to tweak their system's setup over a period of years instead of trading equipment once a month.