what percentage of us really knows sound

With all that said, and I didn't read all the threads, but the audio mags are in the same category. I have tried some of the mega dollar gear or auditioned it and I came away un-impressed with some of this gear. Some of it did sound as claimed. But there are allot of legitimate audiophile out there too.... Me, I'm just a cheapskate. I want 98% of the sound of that latest $10k cd player for under a grand. That works for me. Heck I would be happy with 95%. There are bargins out there in them there bins.
A prime example is Oppo. They have been blowing away CD and DVD players over $2,000 for a couple years now at realistic prices. And some gear out there is just plain hard to make it sound bad. Cables, Interconnects, and addressing various audio accessories can have an immediate effect on the sound of your system. For instance I borrowed some very expensive speaker cables. It was OK! I tried some very inexpensive Vampire Wire 12ga CCC hook up wire and it blew that expensive cable away in my system. I have had several of my audiophile friends listen to my system and they were impressed. But my cable was too inexpensive or (CHEAP) for them.
And last, the person's system you heard satisfies them. Maybe your hearing acurity is better than theirs. Just be careful how you tell them it doesn't float your boat. You may not get an invitation back. I'm sure you won't mind that! Nuff Said!

I am deeply humbled in the presence of such greatness. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit in which these revelations have been shared with all of us! This dazzling display of superiority exposes the rest of us as just wailing infants who need our diapers changed, but of course are not worthy of the effort. I am deeply embarrassed and will have already destroyed my Audiophile membership card by the time most of you are reading this. I will be turning in my secret decoder ring to the proper authorities at the first possible opportunity. For now I'll just stand in the corner over there in silence and reflect on my inadequacies, while those who know better may laugh and mock me with righteous indignation. Thank you for this selfless contribution to my awakening!

My, goal in this Hobby, is to get as close as possible to the true sound of acoustic instruments, harmonizing together creating this sound scape, full of colors and emotions,
What makes a great singer is not a grate voice, But the projection of that voice,the ability to capture and manipulate peoples emotions, Eva Cassidy, was one of those few,
if a sound system is not able to do that to me when listening,is just ordinary,
the fist sing of an audiophile not been in tune, is the one,
looking for inner detail, and very detailed sound,
Live music is not detailed at all,
But warm, Rich, and organic, Do you think, the Director of an Orchestra, is listening for inner Details?
detailed sound is more often artificial and dry sound with very little projection,
I'm not trying to lecture anyone here, just voicing an Honest opinion:

Cheers:

Jax2, great post - LMAO!

Juan,

Merlin speakers are not really capable of reproducing dynamic range properly. And so I now know something about your system & your ears.

We could say that, if C is the "coefficient of audio realism" - the factor that tells us how closely a musical experience approximates reality according to the brain - its equation is A + B = C. A is what the system provides and B is what the brain fills in.

This explains how some lucky souls can be enraptured by an AM radio.