What is a high end stereo SUPPOSED to sound like?

Onhwy61, I hear you and thought I addressed it in my post. Of course you can have an emotional response to a song even on a car radio with a bunch of road noise. Sing along. Cry. Laugh. But there is an additional magic when hearing it live because of the nuances of emotion, the nuances of the instruments (including voice) and the clarity broadcast in a live performance. A good stereo should also accomplish that. The musicians grab a hold and don't let go at an entirely different level. Subtle but distinct to my heart. You can't not pay attention.

I like Onhwy61s take on it. It's a different angle but it does address the OPs original ruminations. One needn't have an expensive, high end system to feel the soul of the music.

Audiophile issues aside, the emotional response one gets from a song or piece of music is independent of the quality of the gear.

Granted, a highly resolving system is most welcome and would be icing on the cake and we can all agree that once you've heard better, going back is hard. But is it necessary? No.

All the best,
Nonoise

nonoise, experiments reported in stereophile years ago, confirm your position.

it would seem that the issue of the designation "high end", is irrelevant to the enjoyment of music, especially if the latter is the reason for having a stereo system in the first place.

Mrtennis, true.

We all got into this hobby just for the enjoyment of being able to enjoy music for musics sake.

It's only when we learned of better ways to achieve that goal that led us down the path of our present condition.

All the best,
Nonoise

Since we have now defined what a high end system sounds like, maybe we can decide when or at what price point does the high end begin. For instance, for a system consisting of speakers, amps and a cd player, assuming an adeqate room and wire etc..., using MSRP for new equipment, how cheaply can you enter the 'high-end'?