Top two most important sound qualities

@cdc ’immediacy’ is an even better word for the kind of realism I was trying to describe. One could say immediacy is what distinguishes the real thing from a recording. Just think of street musicians. Even from a distance and without visual contact you simply ’know’ when they’re playing live. Whether they use amplification doesn’t matter. It will sound completely different from recorded sound, even when it comes from speakers outside the adjacent store just a few feet away, no matter how loud they go.

This would seem to suggest that ’live immediacy’ already gets lost during the recording process. So any playback system, no matter how good, is at the mercy of the recording quality.

Indeed - the best you can possibly get is what the producer and other tech people can put on the source. And of course the 'source' can sound very different even in the same venue and performance depending on where you are. But yeah, that's great when you can get transported that way! 

Going into detailed descriptions of the meanings given to a couple qualitative terms and the factors needed for enhancing them is really interesting.

Well said, guys. Expressive and colorful articulation without getting too poetic or prozaic.

Timbre, ( covers tonality and clarity)

Dynamics, (what music isn't dynamic other than heavily compressed recorded music?)

When I listen to my system the most special times are when I experience an emotional response to the music being played. If it doesn’t then it draws my attention to setup or something other than the enjoyment of music. Trying to put labels on it seems diminish or make things clinical when I just want to play music. I understand the need to take the necessary steps to ensure quality music reproduction but the sooner that is done the better. For me it’s like going to an art museum. I don’t actually look to close at the brush strokes I just enjoy myself and sometimes actually experience the artist’s intent if I am really lucky. Now if you want to know what’s important to me is manageable treble. I seen to be able to fill in the blanks when necessary but harsh, etched treble is my nemesis.