How much reality do you really need?


The real question to the audiophile  is, “how much reality do you need” to enjoy your system? Does it have to be close to an exact match?  How close before your satisfied?  Pursuing that ideal seems to be the ultimate goal of the audiophile.
The element of your imagination has to come into the equation, or you’ll drive yourself mad.  You have to fill in part of the experience with your mind.
But this explains the phenomenon of “upgraditis.”
128x128rvpiano
@larry5729

"How do you know if your system sounds like the sound room where it was recorded or how it sounded live?  I think a sound system alters the sound in order to hear what sounds most pleasing to your ear.  The next step is how much are you willing to spend or how much will your spouse allow you to spend"


I agree but this is not hi-fi orthodoxy!  .

Seems that unless you were there to witness and hear the actual recoding being made, reality is largely undefinable. Everyone is aware of the differences in source quality. A lousy production sounds lousy at any price IMO, a better lousy, but lousy nonetheless. 
I don't think most want the most close to live sound. I think most audiophiles have a preference. How far are you willing to go to achieve this goal? Most tend to push the boundaries further and further and that expands the costs.
In any audio show about 1 in 100 listening rooms reproduces music completely realistically.  It is a rare event and most people never hear it.  Many think they do.  Most vendors don't know how to get there strangely enough.  It's better to talk with the engineers if you can.  When you get "there" with your system, you will find all systems that produce realistic sound, sound alike.  You cannot get more real than real.  It is a hoot actually, and one heck of a lot of work.