Well chosen words and nicely put, Detlof. Especially the analogy of the musical instrument. Live, unamplified music is THE reality check.
In my particular case, I listen to most any kind of music. From orchestral to salsa/merengue/cha-cha back to chamber ensembles. From jazz to rock to electronic to Celtic. Creating a system that will be able to play ALL these genres and variations in recording quality is, in my opinion, the most challenging.
What do I do? I have programmed my mind that once I finish setting up my system what I get is what I get. Period. I have to optimise sound quality and musical enjoyment. Beyond that point the system will start becoming ruthlessly revealing and the defects of my not so great recordings (a good chunk of them)will stand out. The resolution of the system will interfere with the enjoyment of the music. I learned this working at an audio store while in college. We had B&W 801s wired to a McIntosh rig. The only two rock groups we could listen on those speakers were Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons Project. They sounded awesome, indeed. But what about the rest? Those Dahlquists on the corner, however, were sooo sweet with any kind of music...
In my particular case, I listen to most any kind of music. From orchestral to salsa/merengue/cha-cha back to chamber ensembles. From jazz to rock to electronic to Celtic. Creating a system that will be able to play ALL these genres and variations in recording quality is, in my opinion, the most challenging.
What do I do? I have programmed my mind that once I finish setting up my system what I get is what I get. Period. I have to optimise sound quality and musical enjoyment. Beyond that point the system will start becoming ruthlessly revealing and the defects of my not so great recordings (a good chunk of them)will stand out. The resolution of the system will interfere with the enjoyment of the music. I learned this working at an audio store while in college. We had B&W 801s wired to a McIntosh rig. The only two rock groups we could listen on those speakers were Pink Floyd and Alan Parsons Project. They sounded awesome, indeed. But what about the rest? Those Dahlquists on the corner, however, were sooo sweet with any kind of music...