How Revealing Should a System Be?

Nine out of Ten audiophiles agree that a system should be 100 percent revealing and 100 percent musical. Obviously this is impossible and the perception is that as the system becomes more revealing it also becomes less musical and vice-versa. So, a system that is 100 percent revealing will only be about 50 percent musical; whereas, a system that is 100 percent musical will only be 50 percent revealing. My best advice (after years of research) is to split the difference and shoot for 75 percent revealing to 75 percent musical. But whether or not you will recognize when you've achieved this balance is uncertain and completely subjective for each individual. So there you have it, in black and white. By the way, could someone please enlighten me as to how high is up??? :)

The difference between musicians and audiophiles is directly related to your posit.By this I mean a musician is primarily focused on the realism of a given instruments variables and an audiophile seeks some other earthly recreation that in the end does not resemble a living organism.It is primarily a pursuit of technical miracles and subject to so many market variables incomprehensible to many and driven by too few.We have long since past the detail and transparency of the live event and entered into a disturbed place of hyper real... masquerading as more real.A pity really since seeking great music is energy more wisely put to use.

Brucegel, you're absolutelly right. Pursuing an unachievable goal is meaningless unless one enjoys the process itself.
However, it would be good to have several differently sounding systems for different types of music and listener's moods. Something like having SS front end and tube DAC as an alternative, for special cases. Or vice versa.

I have been puzzled by such subject(issue) too. My recent "revised "-thought is : " Enough is ENOUGH " ( get the gears that is good enough to reproduce musical clarity and details ,yet NOT to the point of hearing the soloist's or the conductor's breathing ,which I don't really need to hear and spoiled musical enjoyment "
Again and perhaps along the line ' I can't really comphrehen the so called "neutrality " e.g " this amp /preamp is musically neutral/does'nt add or substract any sonic characters....." yet how about in actual listening session ? does my spkr,my cables;my player;and most importantly my listening room also in accordance/compatible with the amp/preamp's "neutrality " ??

Simon

Here's my thoughts (yours may conflict, or not - so caveats apply):

Improving a system does include inproving it's ability to resolve the music. I believe that many interpret this to be lightning quickness and knifelike precision. I don't. I believe that an increase in resolution means improving the palpability of the instruments. A guiter should have a wooden body ALONG with the metal string sound. A piano has a form and a resonating texture that is usually not portrayed on many systems.

I don't particularly like the new trend in metal or diamond tweeters. They sound too sharp and brittle to me. And in order to keep up with their overly quick nature, the midranges are following form, with ceramics and such. All speakers I've heard with this formula, even the expensive ones, are incredibly quick. But they don't portray the body of the instrument to my satisfaction - it isn't believable, it's too Hi-Fi.

This may be where your problem lies.

Enjoy,
Bob