What is a high end stereo SUPPOSED to sound like?


I've been thinking about this for a while....like 10+ years. Would be interested in what others have to say.
My latest answer would have to be "nothing". I want to hear the music and not the stereo. Like "Come over and listen to some music" versus "Come over and listen to my new stereo". If there are errors, they would be errors of omission, not commission because I assume they are less noticeable.
cdc
So, is it fair to say that, since we are rarely in a position to compare a recording of a live event with the live event (even having been there depends on memory and seating location) and studio recordings are typically manipulated, that the ultimate test of a good system is how real the instruments sound, compared to our experience of what such instruments sound like in a live environment?
Very fair, indeed.

The times when it sounds real don't happen as often as we'd like so one must revel in the throes when in its presence, knowing it's fleeting at best.

More wine?

All the best,
Nonoise
I tend to agree that we may underestimate our ability to remember what things sound like. Our senses are powerful tools when tuned in and assessed objectively. Regardless, each person's individual senses are all we each can really depend on.
Very fair, indeed.

The times when it sounds real don't happen as often as we'd like so one must revel in the throes when in its presence, knowing it's fleeting at best.

More wine?

All the best,
Nonoise