The Absolute Sound vs Pleasing Sound

If true today, give it a few more years.

It is amazing how good some of the programs have become.

Just this month some scientist use the eyes of an insect connected to an A.I. device and use it with success...

THEN my point is not doubting technological progress...

My point is about MEANING.... In human perception also lie meaning, and using dials to REPLACE human perception is not the essence of human experience, even if dials are useful....

And you are right about that, tomorrow A.I. will work without ANY human help whatsoever....This does not solve the meaning problem....   😁😊

IMHO any [audio] system that makes brushwork sound like tape hiss, is not doing its job properly. as a restoration tech and musician [mediocre] for 3+ decades, electronic hiss "lives" in a totally different "neighborhood" than any drummer's brushes. it is something like the difference between rose noise and white noise. that little nitpick aside, the absolute sound can be approached generally at great expense both in $$$$$$ as well as energy [both psychic and physical], having to optimize room acoustics as well as the synergy of equipment working together and the right recordings. there are comparatively few recordings out there that "get it all right" in terms of making a good deep round sound which btw can be heard as such [to a notable if variable extent] even on much cheap equipment. such perfect recordings will  of course on the best equipment will virtually transport you to their recorded venue which is the room where the mics were placed and NOT the control room. the majority of recordings out there give you the control room sound at best, IOW highly processed and markedly different from raw feed. all this said, i found some old advents or even old nova 6 speakers gave a surprisingly balanced and mellow yet clear [enough] sound for the vast majority of recordings i pumped through them, though the trebles were not the clearest, imaging was merely suggestive and the depth wasn't there, still they sounded nominally pleasing, somewhat musical [makes one's fingers snap and feet tap] and above all, inoffensive. on the contrary, many old recordings on audiophile equipment sounded borderline harsh [or outright harsh] and flat and, well, offensive to me. i suspect these recordings were tailored to sound "right" on typical consumer equipment of the day, IOW not really revelatory-sounding gear, with some euphonic coloration going on. 

One factor that no one seems to have considered is that everyone's hearing ability doesn't conform to a template....just like vision can vary from individual to individual, from that of a hawk to the myopic Mr. Magoo, so does the critical sense of hearing. This may help explain why we perceive differences when a group (more than one) are listening to music from any given stereo system. Definitely not the major factor, but shadings can make a big difference. This theory only bolsters the position that you should tailor your system for what sounds good to YOUR ears, not someone else's. As I've aged, I find myself preferring the sound of what many would call mid-fi components or mediums of reproduction (vinyl and RTR tape, for example). As long as we're all still involved in the hobby, that's all that really matters.

"...Hello Russ69,  I’ve been through the same situation as you..."
I'm not in a situation, I know what I prefer.

 "... I’ve found that thru experience, accurate sounding systems are not what I’ve enjoyed best long term..."
You and I are on the same page. 

  "...So I’m trying to understand what do you mean by an absolute sound..." 
That was defined by an audio magazine to be the recreation of live unamplified music. I think that is the low hanging fruit, that's a very simple task, playing complex music is where good systems shine.    

Russ69,

As pointed out by others, and something that I absolutely agree with, whether one is satisfied with the sound of our audio system is really the bottom line of all this. If the sound pleases us, then who is to argue? There are different approaches to reaching the sound that we want as we all have different priorities when it comes to music and this hobby. However, there is a tendency on the part of all of us to want agreement and to take disagreement as to which approach is best unnecessarily personally. This is the reason that it is always best to not be absolutist about a point of view which may not work for anyone except ourselves. I think that it is fantastic that you have found an approach that works for you. I and others don’t find it at all “impossible” to achieve our ideal sound by pursuing a sound that is “closest to real live music”. It’s not about being right or wrong in our approach; except for ourselves.

So, thanks for an interesting subject of discussion. Threads like this always have the potential to teach us how to better understand the point of view of others and even to become better listeners.

I will leave the thread with this personal viewpoint Re one of your quoted comments and one which may help clarify my point of view:

**** ...the recreation of live unamplified music. I think that is the low hanging fruit, that’s a very simple task, playing complex music is where good systems shine. ****

Simple task? From my point of view it is the most complex of all. In fact, the highest hanging fruit and the reason why it is worth pursuing.

Regards.