Accurate vs Musical


What is the basis for buying an "accurate" speaker over a "musical" one? I am very familiar with most audiophile jargon but this is one that confuses me. Musical to me means that the speakers convey the "air" or/and overtone of instruments.

"Accurate" on the other hand is what, the accuracy of a single note? If accurate does not convey the space of an instrument, how can it be defined as accurate? I can understand why an "accurate" speaker can be used in a recording studio or as a studio monitor but for casual listening/auditioning?

Thiel is an accurate speaker but Magnepan is more musical so which would truly be more faithful to the original source? Someone please clear this up for me. Thanks.
ebonyvette
substitute the word "analytical" for "accurate" and i think you can contrast speakers in a more meaningful way. speakers that specifically provide a wealth of detail are needed in a pro-audio application, so that engineers can nit-pick flaws when mastering a recording. but something else has to be done when considering placing a very resolving speaker in a den or a living room. that "something else" requires subjective testing with the goal of not only letting you hear everything but also achieving the goal- a sense of natural reproduction- and that is greater than the sum of the parts. not that some people actually perceive resolution as the ultimate objective and PREFER that route, and many times will spend as much time and effort on their listening room as their components. i know one such person that has transformed a room in his home into "one large speaker" with his stereo speakers acting as a "baffle within a baffle". I otoh have the opposite personal bias in that i would rather not take down the artwork and remove the furniture, but i still want naturalness with a good measure of detail thrown in.
Excellent point, Ebonyvette: a very justified mystification, and one that has had me reading b/ween the lines to understand.

Etymologically, an "accurate" speaker will be "musical" or xyz, or whatever the signal fed into it is. Pbb explains this above very well (I would disregard the "subjectivist" & objectivist & other incidental "-ists", however).

As usually used, neither term is "accurate". "Musical", undefined is audiophile mumbo-jumbo: quite appropriately, you defined "musical" above. Most people don't define either term (inlcuding reviewers unfortunately) and use them indiscriminately. Likewise, for "analytical".

What is often meant by "accurate" it seems, is the reproduction of sounds without the energy, dynamic content and/or emotional impact of musicians playing, if you will -- i.e. music that sounds like the musicians are solving a mathematical equation, not putting their soul into the piece...
Or, do I mean "analytical":)?
Speakers should reproduce accurately the music contained on the recording. Speakers should not be another musical instrument imposed on top of the recorded music.
Some prefer one version of speaker to the other. You chose which fits your vision and forget the terms that audiophiles use.
I've always viewed it this way:

Accurate or transparent is what I like and want. Why? Because I've played music all of my life, and when I'm trying to learn a song, I want to hear what the each individual part is. What's the rhythm guitar doing, the lead, the keyboards. Consequently I grown accustomed to listening this way all of the time. I enjoy my music that way.

Musical is more blended and not necessarily that detailed. A person can sit back and enjoy the song as a whole without needing to or wanting to disect it.

Two examples of this in cables are the Stereovox HDXV (or Kimber D-60) digital cable (accurate) versus the MIT Digital Reference (musical), and more recently the new Basis power cord (extremely accurate) versus the Kubala-Sosna Emotion (musical).

Both accurate and musical are good, it comes down to this, when you sit down and listen to music, what's your pleasure?
All speakers lose their ability to be accurate once placed in a listening room. Early reflections, modal nodes, etc., all play a part in reducing the realism to a certain degree even if the speaker is 100 percent true to source.

Also, IMO, a more accurate speaker has the potential for being less musical since the accuracy highlights any flaws in the system, and in some instances make them unbearable - especially with digital sources. This is one reason some people tend to think not so highly of Thiels.

So if you're making a buying decision, the equipment connected upstream will be more of a factor in accuracy - at least the accuracy you are looking for - than the speakers' resolving ability.