Dear D
I don't think there is a "live" system to be bought:); and a music lover can be happy listening to music on a little radio... Guidocorona aptly notes in a recent posting that reproduction is "hyper"-realistic rather than "real". I would subscribe to this way of putting things!
As a reference, however, live music does allow us to know what certain instruments sound like -- a violin, for example, or tympani being struck, etc
Equip:
AS you are an audio professional, you obviously know that your equip is first rate... shortcomings, if any, are probably the result of external, rather than internal, factors.
One of these factors is the record/recording -- but we have to live with that.
Further ideas related to points you raise in yr post:
Dynamics limitations: I believe that it's necessary for a system to have dynamic capabilities exceeding the medium's rated limits.
Now, the sound comes from yr spkrs. Your spkrs should allow ~1-100dB spl swings without major audible problems in a critical range b/ween 80-12kHz. Anything that constrains that would be either upstream, or extraneous.
One of these "externals" is noise that we get through the mains and is fed into the system and of course exits through the spkrs.
Measure the system inherent noise (i.e. no music) coming fm yr spkrs at a reasonable position at reasonable volume (you may be picking up EMI). This will include ambient noise you can do nothing about, so try this at a quiet moment.
For example, I had ~35-40db (!!). Given the same, say, 100dB capability, my sound would only reach 60 -- and that, at high spl in order to go beyond the noise level. High spl means my spkrs would be close to, or reach compression. Even before that happens, my wife & neighbours will have charged in the room.
If this measurement is significant in yr case too, try out an inexpensive 20amp filter/surge protector (tripplite, for example, makes some). I had one made by a friend. Leave the magical audiophile filters aside for now. Measure the noise floor again: it could be lower by ~20dB. Basically, you have gained AUDIBILITY of ~20dB "headroom" that yr system has anyway but was buried under the noise. This is randomly called "loss of fine detail" etc, in audio-speak.
An additional trick is to use very sensitive spkrs -- horns for example. While this is a personal choice and yr ATCs are excellent IMO, I mention it as a way of introducing artefact to *simulate* the dynamics of a live event... somewhat. It can work in a small room but for a limited FR (mid & bass requires room and horns are huge).
Further helpful is a source signal amplifier with very high dynamic range -- in yr case, the phono equaliser for example.
Further upstream is the phono cartridge; excepting latecomers, these have not always been very good at dynamic levels. Fortunately for them, many recordings have been equally limited, so the problem was less acute. Please note, however, that just as many recordings of the 50's & '60s already had a quite wide dynamic range!
{Note: I'm not concerned here with linearity of the equalisation curve, etc -- just dynamic contrast in the sound and perceptible in a medium-sized (~350) room.}
The ability of each source component to correctly "drive" the load is important for minimal energy loss -- but you've already addressed that amply with yr system.
Of course, active spkrs are an *extremely* good idea... indispensable in many ways.
Finally, as we all know for having toiled endless hours, (L+R) speaker placement is primordial -- we fiddle for hours and suddenly, finally, low frequency energy appears out of nowhere... The stereophonic coupling/image is an important base for the multichannel setup too.
Finally, if you wish to use dsp, you gain control over delay and phase issues, at the expense of some resolution unfortunately. These two aspects of control are far more important than FR equalising (i.e., the act of re-equalising & re-crossing yr spkrs) IMO. But there is that as well.
Cheers
