Is live reproduction the goal of audio?


Is the ultimate direction of electronics to reproduce the original performance as though it were live?
lakefrontroad
Jax2...thank you for being human

It seems we are doing the tango.....you lead.

Look at this point of view. Who is using the perceptions. When you turn on the "sound " or whatever you are perceiving, You are looking from the point of view of you. med-rare is it. Med-well is good but you would pay a 5 star pro to mess up your choice. Yor reality is your 100% truth. All we need to is to agree somewhat on the function rather then the tools. Then we will all be on the same page without the confusion.

Hey you could walk into a guys room listen and figure ...He's stuck in the 70's with treble on max and the bass 3/4 of the way. Full volume on Zep and have a smile ear to ear. You can never match the reality of the tool (components ) only the function. We do don't boil prime steaks.

Or we do not absorb sound.
I don't know that I agree with your last statement C5150. I'm not sure what your point is there either. I'm not sure that all we need to do is agree on the fucntion. I may prefer a different rendition from a specific album than you prefer...perhaps I like the warmth of tubes and you like the detail and muscle of SS. I don't see either as having anything to do with an objective "truth", either yours or mine. It is simply what either of us prefer in the moment. It may change as well...maybe a year from now I tire of tubes and am swayed by SS. What does that indicate about the "goal of audio" as the original post asks? The "function" of this stuff is to bring music into our homes, and to provide enjoyment for us in doing so. Beyond that, every person has a different set of preferences which may or may not be suited by a given manufacturers answers, no matter how good the manufacturer is. Not everyone strives for the experience of "live music" in their home, while others may think "live" to sound a different way than you or me might. Tubes/SS, Med-Rare/Well Done, crank bass/no tone controls, vanilla/chocolate, Lamm/Pioneer, Dinner at 21 Club /Dinner at McDonalds. No decision is right or wrong or objectively "better" than the other. If there were one singular goal of any of these things, there would be far fewer alternatives and variations available. It is the fact that the world, and the people in it, are so diverse, and so in flux, that creates markets with such a tremendous variety to choose from.

Marco
Snatch the pebble from the crack of my ass young Grasshopper, and it will be time for you to wash your hands!

Marco
So THAT's where you've been hiding audio nirvana. And all this time, I've been looking in the wrong place. Charlie101, you gonna join us for a listening session?