Is live reproduction the goal of audio?

It is the only goal that can effectively market the product. How else would you sell a pair of speakers, or an amp? "Hi, we're XYZ audio, and we eschew accuracy, achieving instead the sound we know you will prefer." Bye-bye XYZ audio!

I think that as we put together a system that pleases us, our personal goal emerges en route.

Then Boa2, is the goal of individuals different than the goal of audio?

The simple answer is YES as the goal, but what people end up with does not sound anything like live music.

Look at all the posts that use terms like....transparent, dead quiet, black background, crystal clear, yada yada yada.

Anyone who actually goes out to listen to live music will have to admit that none of these terms apply to that. It is a pretty noisy world out there. I have never heard "earth shattering bass" at a live event.

Secondly, unless you listen to recordings of live concerts (most audiophiles do not), you are not listening to live music. Studio recordings are so over-edited, processed, etc, they don't approximate live music, no matter the type of music.

What does it mean to "reproduce the original performance as though it were live?" Since it can't be done perfectly, it comes down to tradeoffs. I think just about every high end manufacturer believes they are making good choices in the tradeoffs they make, all in the name of "recreating the original event" or "capturing the emotional experience of live music." For some of us, you can't get there without dynamics; for others, deepest bass; for others, correct timbre. Which is "more right"?

I would also say that the goal of electronics, as Lakefrontroad put it, may very well be different from our personal system-building goals. Nothing wrong with that.

It is the proverbial carrot-on-a-stick of audio. I agree, it can never be achieved. Yes, it is absolutely relative to the listener, and thus there are no absolutes. The goal of the audio industry is to perpetuate itself through pleasing their customers and or creating a demand for their products. You can market the stuff with all kinds of angles and theoretical goals. Ultimately it comes down to what pleases you...how do you want the stuff coming off that spinning disk to sound in your home. You may want it to sound just like a live performance, but if you attend many live performances, and that is your goal, I think you'll always be reaching for that carrot that is just beyond your reach. Sit back and enjoy the music, wherever you are listening. Like most things in life, as soon as you attach expectations to it, that takes you far away from the experience.

Marco