Musicality vs Transparency & Detail

..I don't agree the timber is an important consideration, since timber is always affected by concert hall/venue acoustics, and the distance the instrument playing is from the audience. My violin sounds way different when I play it, then when I hear recordings of it... most times, the recording is better. The scraping, mechanical sounds are gone, replaced by the silkiness of the string itself.

I agree that timbre is critical and I do think you can evaluate it accurately at least to some degree. I believe the difference you're hearing, Stringreen, between the sound of your violin as you play it under your ear and that of the same violin on record is a matter of distance as you point out yourself. Having said that, accurate timbre and naturally presented fine detail are both important to me.

Being a violinist like Stringreen, I agree with his statements above completely .I would also add, I think that the violin and piano are the two most difficult instruments to record and get the sound correct. As Stringreen, I have played in symphony and chamber orchestras and have attented hundreds of solo violin recitals, and never to my ears does a violin
sound bright even in it's upmost register when heard in an accountic evironment. Yet, I have never heard a commercial recording of the violin that to me got the top end correct. They always sound bright, edgy,and with a thinner sound than when heard live.
Likewise, a concert grand piano can produce dynamics when heard live that to my ears is not reproduced on a recording. Also the top octaves of a concert grand produce a bell like quality when heard live and is lost or dimminished when recorded.
I know that listeners hear diferrently and each has their own favorite aspect of music that is more improtant to them than would be to others , but me as a musician,I have a very difficult time enjoying music that is bright ,edgy,or strident,on recordings when it is not when heard in a live accoustic event.

Maybe we can agree then that timbre is important insofar as it is possible to identify the tone color of an instrument as being of that particular instrument, as I alluded to in my previous post. What good is any recording if I can't distinguish between a viola and violin or a bowed cello and a bowed bass? I think we all know that no mike feed is ever going to match the sound of a live event. I dont think I stated that a recording will give you the true timbre of an instrument as it is heard live in performance. There is no wrong or right here, only what each of us feels is most important to US. That's why I brought up the differences in hearing acuity. Stringreen and Violin have a different set of priorities, and thats as it should be. We all perceive sound differently. By the way guys, I played clarinet and sax since the age of 7, was in All-State Band, high school orchestra and jazz bands, and w ent on to play guitar and bass in rock bands through college ( hope you wont hold that against me! lol)--Thanks for all your opinions, its one r eason I enjoy Audiogon!--Mrmitch