Can HI FI components really make music?


Hello everyone. I am posting this question possibly a bit early but I am getting frustrated and am about to throw in the towel, sell everything and buy a Bose wave radio and call it good. My question is does a good HI FI system ever really sound like live music? At this point I think not. I have been in this hobby for about 7 years and just can't seem to get there. Even the system at the local "hi end" dealer does not come close to live music. My system has evolved over the years to the following:

Wadia 861 CD
VTL MB 125 mono blocks
Supratek Chennin Pre
(2) Vandy 2WQ subs
Vandy 3A Sig
Cardas Golden Cross inter con
Kimber Bifocal XL spk cable
Vandy model 5 Xover

All this gear is in a 13x35x8 room. Although the sound is quite good. Better than most any other system Ive heard it still has a long way to go. In all fairness the 3As are not completely broken in but I dont think they will improve to the extent I want them to over the course of the next 30 hrs. My dealers solution is that I should get rid of the Supratek and replace with a VTL 5.5. I dont think so. Been there done that. Although the VTL is decent it cant compete with the Supra.

At this point I think maybe the VTL 125s are just not sophisticated or powerful enough to give me the sound Im looking for. I think they are the weak link along with cabling. I stated earlyer that the dealers system doesnt do it for me either and I think that may be due to the fact that their biggest amp is 185 wpc. Im thinking maybe a sophisticated amp with say 400 wpc might get me there with the 3As. I dont know... but I am not willing to spend 100K to what I want nor could I afford to.

For those of you that are still with me any and all input welcome. I am not one of those thin skinned audiophiles that cries like a baby when someone has the audacity to insult their precious gear. So fire away.

Thanks
braro
A well thought out system and configuration can provide you the very best that any recording has to offer. And that is all anyone can hope for in music reproduction.

In my opinion, the only way to achieve such sonic pleasure (even in many so-called 'poor' recordings) is by investing much time and thought into a system and properly addressing the obvious and universal drawbacks every system must cope with. Namely:

o Noisy AC.

o Inferior cabling between components and speakers that induce harm such as grain, hash, and/or time smear.

o Ensuring there is an abundance of AC power to the amplifier to fully reproduce the dynamics of complex and/or demanding passages even at lower listening levels. (dedicated circuits/lines)

o Obtaining the best possible speaker interaction with the room via proper speaker placement. (room acoustics itself is highly overrated).

o Implementing certain tweaks such as acquiring the best audio-grade accessories such as cryo-treated iec connectors, plugs, outlets, cables, etc..

o Air-borne vibrations captured instantaneously by the components and speakers themselves yet can only dissipate over an extended period of time.

o And never underestimate what a well-engineered amplifier can do to absolutely catapult your system's sonics into a whole nuther realm entirely. IMO, there are very few amplifiers that are capable of doing this.

In your specific case, I'd recommend starting off by experimenting with speaker placement, other interconnects, speaker cables, line conditioning, vibration control, and installing dedicated circuits/lines.

-IMO
I had predicted a post such as Stehno's. A true believer, a true believer. Change cables and cure your ac and there you go: music!
After 40 yrs. of this audiophile game, I am enjoying simulation of live music, probably 75% of the time. The secret, I feel is fine tuning after lots of direction and home work. The mini stealth AC purifier, aurios and sistrum stands all made major improvements toward realism. I use all JPS audio wires which in my system really added to the realism. I use Chapman prototype Q6 speakers which the manufacture (Stuart Jones) says are the most accurate speakers he has built in 35 years. The GamuT CD1R I use seems to read everything on the CD mwith its method of oversampling. The most refining component for my system, which seemed to make the leap to reality was my deHavilland Mercury preamp. Jazz and Opera definitely approch the live performance which I have compared on various occasions. Large pchestral works can appoach live performances also. With a prayer I think the effert is worth it. The other thing I have found is more expensive is not necessarily better.
How many of the people who trash Bose have actually listened to Bose speakers? Has anyone actually listened to them in a high end system? They are far from perfect, but even in cheap systems, soem of them are capable of reproducing dynamics and midbass surprisingly well. I have never heard them in anything but lo-end systems, but wonder if high-end gear well- matched would make them sing without the harshness they are known for.
I have heard them on stage, and they usually sound better than most stage gear. I remember one big band in particular that was using them, and from a distance they sounded incredibly real and natural (although up close they sounded quite harsh)
After 40 yrs. of this audiophile game, I am enjoying simulation of live music, probably 75% of the time. The secret, I feel is fine tuning after lots of direction and home work. The mini stealth AC purifier, aurios and sistrum stands all made major improvements toward realism. I use all JPS audio wires which in my system really added to the realism. I use Chapman prototype Q6 speakers which the manufacture (Stuart Jones) says are the most accurate speakers he has built in 35 years. The GamuT CD1R I use seems to read everything on the CD with its method of oversampling. The most refining component for my system, which seemed to make the leap to reality was my deHavilland Mercury preamp. Jazz and Opera definitely approch the live performance which I have compared on various occasions. Large orchestral works can appoach live performances also. With a prayer I think the effert is worth it. The other thing I have found is more expensive is not necessarily better.