Logydoghan,
Good question from you, "Why do you think an instrument can have a character. But electronics shouldn't?"
I thought I already answered this, but I can add a few more insights. All electronics have various types of distortion, both by objective measurements and subjective sound. These deviations from the classic concept of a "straight wire with gain" constitute the character of the electronics. Benchmark caters to people like me who don't want electronic character, but who seek as much transparency as possible.
The musical instrument has the character, but if an audiophile seeks character in the electronics, they are changing the character of the musical instrument, more than the audiophile who wants to hear the character of the instrument as closely as possible.
If I lived close to you, I could come over and demonstrate what a violin (the only instrument I play) sounds like at different distances, close and further away, in different halls and rooms, etc. I don't know how much intimate experience you have hearing instruments close up--the average concertgoer who sits in a hall further away has little idea of what the instrument really sounds like, as best approximated by microphones placed close; i.e., what its true character is, without the overlay of hall acoustic smearing from distance, hall floors with carpet, soft wooden walls, etc. The natural resolution and detail of any natural instrument is in another world compared to most audio systems. The natural character of the musical instrument is in an archaeological domain that when attempted to be reproduced by an audio system, is buried by the veiling distortion of speakers and electronics. The audiophile hears live unamplified music presented with clarity, and he wonders if it is sweet/warm OR cold/sterile, etc. The answer is that it is neither. It is akin to being in present day Israel, and understanding that there were several past civilizations buried under your feet, but being totally unable to tell what they were. What is desirable is to excavate as an archaeologist, and recognize/understand what used to be invisible. That is what I feel like when hearing a typical audio system. I know the original music from all my musical background and experience, so I am like an audio archaeologist whereas the audiophiles with minimal real world unamplified musical experience are like the tourists who can only perceive what the veiled/distorted system shows them.
Good question from you, "Why do you think an instrument can have a character. But electronics shouldn't?"
I thought I already answered this, but I can add a few more insights. All electronics have various types of distortion, both by objective measurements and subjective sound. These deviations from the classic concept of a "straight wire with gain" constitute the character of the electronics. Benchmark caters to people like me who don't want electronic character, but who seek as much transparency as possible.
The musical instrument has the character, but if an audiophile seeks character in the electronics, they are changing the character of the musical instrument, more than the audiophile who wants to hear the character of the instrument as closely as possible.
If I lived close to you, I could come over and demonstrate what a violin (the only instrument I play) sounds like at different distances, close and further away, in different halls and rooms, etc. I don't know how much intimate experience you have hearing instruments close up--the average concertgoer who sits in a hall further away has little idea of what the instrument really sounds like, as best approximated by microphones placed close; i.e., what its true character is, without the overlay of hall acoustic smearing from distance, hall floors with carpet, soft wooden walls, etc. The natural resolution and detail of any natural instrument is in another world compared to most audio systems. The natural character of the musical instrument is in an archaeological domain that when attempted to be reproduced by an audio system, is buried by the veiling distortion of speakers and electronics. The audiophile hears live unamplified music presented with clarity, and he wonders if it is sweet/warm OR cold/sterile, etc. The answer is that it is neither. It is akin to being in present day Israel, and understanding that there were several past civilizations buried under your feet, but being totally unable to tell what they were. What is desirable is to excavate as an archaeologist, and recognize/understand what used to be invisible. That is what I feel like when hearing a typical audio system. I know the original music from all my musical background and experience, so I am like an audio archaeologist whereas the audiophiles with minimal real world unamplified musical experience are like the tourists who can only perceive what the veiled/distorted system shows them.