logydoghan,
In theory, the perfect amp or speaker should do it all. In practice, it doesn't work out that way. We all have to make choices. For amps and speakers, I have found that full bass products sacrifice clarity in the midrange/HF. I am content with 50 Hz bass or even higher. My system has high accuracy for the higher overtones, so the low bass while quantitatively reduced is still there and suggested. A string bass on my system reveals the bow scraping and distinctive overtones that show the bass instrument to have different character than the cello or tuba playing the same bass notes. Crude analogy--the lowfi phone can still enable you to recognize familiar voices quickly, although it is often difficult to distinguish "a" from "eight."
Live music gives you everything well presented. I know Arturo Delmoni, a violinist who studied with Heifetz and Josef Gingold, and who was popular at early Stereophile shows. He conducted an orchestra I played in. One rehearsal I told him I loved the deep bass coming from the tuba. But the most accurate electrostatic/ribbon/planar magnetic drivers alone cannot reproduce the dynamics of the deep bass, which need less accurate dynamic drivers to do that.
I have enjoyed playing in the orchestra and occasional solo performances. Arturo liked to play in orchestras when he got the chance. Both solo and ensemble playing are rewarding. I made my solo debut playing the Mendelssohn concerto at the old age of 40, then Mozart 4th concerto, then Lalo Symphonie Espagnole. Particularly thrilling was standing toward the front of the orchestra while hearing the dynamic brass blasting at me in that piece. There it was, EVERYTHING. All audio systems are necessary compromises--I was still happy that my system generated that immediacy of clarity that I experienced in the Lalo piece. My first great violin teacher was Henryk Kowalski, a student of Myron Poliakin who was in the same Leopold Auer class as Heifetz, and Jacques Thibaud. Kowalski inspired me. He once chastised me for not practicing much, and said that I could be a second Kreisler. Fritz Kreisler was my favorite, combining good technique with ultimate charm and nuance.
For your musical and audiophile enjoyment, I recommend the 2015 recordings of Mozart concertos 3,4,5 by soloist Henning Kraggerud with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. The Naxos CD, available also by download has excellent sound, medium close with spaciousness. You can also find these performances on YT videos, where you can see the location of the musicians on stage, which enhances your appreciation of the better quality audio recording. Kraggerud is surprisingly more accurate, faster and more impressive than the several Heifetz recordings of these Mozart concertos. I never thought Heifetz could be topped, but as in audio, something better often comes along. Kraggerud is faster, but still misses some of Heifetz' bowing tricks and romantic sound. On the other thread, LSA Voyager GaN, I have a running commentary with yyzsantabarbara about hearing very soft "sniffs" by Kraggerud. See if you can appreciate them at 0:08, 1:12, 4:35.
I love all the great old violin masters like Kreisler, Elman, Heifetz, Thibaud, Szigeti, Zimbalist, Menuhin, Enesco. I studied a little with Aaron Rosand, the next generation. There are no great living violinists with the romantic style of these old names, but we keep our ears open to newcomers like Kraggerud. Arturo Delmoni is close to the greats, with his romantic style.
