Charles,
Tone, harmonics, presence, "if ain't got that, it ain't got nothin'!
This year I plan to get to a number of shows. The last one I went to was AXPONA in Jacksonville, FL with my wife, that was a couple of years ago; and you are absolutely right, many rooms can't get the "essentials" right.
There is no shame in getting 90% there. That you can do so with a modest system cost is mind-blowing. In the Enjoy the Music review they put together a total $5,000 buck system including all wiring and DAC, amp, speakers. It included: