Should the best systems sound almost identical?

If the goal of the system is to reproduce the input signal with minimal coloration, then the answer is systems should trend toward sounding alike. To make the issue clearer I would reduce it to "should power amplifiers sound alike?" Power amplifiers are not cars, wines or women -- they are audio amplifiers supposedly designed to reproduce the signal feed them at an amplified level. In the real world even amplifiers do not sound the same. I could argue that the differences between competent, high quality amplifiers is quite small, but I think a better explanation is that many audiophile amplifier manufacturers don't want their amps to sound like other amplifiers. Their amps are not intended to be neutral sounding products. At the system level I suspect audiophile are also not trying to put together neutral sounding systems, hence there is little convergence in sound quality even as prices climb. As a group, audiophiles use their systems as a form of personal expression. It's something that reflects the audiophile's tastes, sophistication and preferences.

Bad example - all Strads actually do sound the same. That's why the discerning music buff can identify the characteristic Strad sound on recordings by Heifetz, for example.

Ask yourself, do all violins sound the same? All pianos? If not which is the "correct" one? Do all conductors get the same sound from an orchestra? etc, etc etc. So why should all systems sound the same. Mine sounds like I think music shound sound, YMMV.

Mezmo - While I think the ideal goal of sound reproduction is to have an identical sound to the original, I would agree that it's likely not physically possible to do it perfectly. If it could be done the majority would probably think it inferior.

Using cables as an example, if you ever did put a perfectly transparent cable into your system, how would you know?

The fact that musical instruments all sound slightly different (even though all strads have a signature sound that can be easily identified by some people) each individual violin sound the same as itself and the goal is to reproduce the sound on a specific instrument on a recording.

Assuming that because two violins sound different that it makes it "ok" for my system to make one sound like the othe isn't really any different than saying it's ok for a violin to sound like a trumpet as on my system logically.

A friend of mine was listening to a violin recording that I have and stated that it was a strad. I pulled the cover and he was right. He has a friend that is a great violin player that picked out Josh Bell specifically on Josh Groban's CD just from the style and tone. I don't claim to be that good by any stretch.

I also agree with the idea that designers are not trying to really approach the goal and are instead working towards a somewhat unique signature sound that a select group of people will prefer.

Stanwal - our systems are not musical instruments creating original sounds. They are intended to reproduce a recorded sound. How could the goal not be to perfectly represent that original sound?

In a good system you should be able to tell the difference between a bass and a bass guitar playing the same notes because of their individual sounds. In a perfect system you should be able to tell blindly which violin is playing which part of duet IF you can audibly tell them apart in a live acoustic environment.