Progressive Rock

I would say the emphasis w/rock would be a spkr. that produces plenty of bass, so a large floorstander would fit the bill. Some folks might opt for standmounts w/sub but I've never liked the integration. Depends on personal preferences.

Then in order to deliver the music in excess of 100 dB's w/o distortion (if required), one would need to have an amp capable of doing the job. Not meaning to deviate into an amp thread or any other component, let me just say not all amps (components) are created equal & some will do the intended job better than others. Again, remember it's all about personal tastes.

The source would need to be on the warmer side of neutral to cover up recording flaws & the cables would follow this pattern. Of course this IMO and that's how I like to listen.

I agree with your precept that the system doesn't know what it's playing, so a good sounding system should be able to reproduce all music accurately but different genres of music emphasize different aspects of sound reproduction & not all stereo gear does all of these things the same way.

It basically boils down to individual taste & I believe the more we personalize our systems, the more it tends to be in line with the type of music we prefer.

nrchy - we are in 100% complete agreement! mark the calendar! stop the presses!

that's exactly why i built my system the way i did.

and nrenter - accuracy is not subjective. it's measurable and real. one may prefer a certain style of distortion, but they're wrong if they call it accurate.

Another Prog head here, interesting thread !!!

I agree with driver, it really does come down to personal taste. My system is light in the bass department but I accept that tradeoff for the huge soundstage and incredible mids I get from my Dunlavy/PrimaLuna combo. The Krell I used to use had more bass but I find myself listening to more music now than I used to because the krell tended to make average cd's(many prog) sound bright. I find myself putting on an album and listening to the whole thing now. I guess that must mean I enjoy what I have.

Yes9 said :My question is, giving the poor recording quality of the 70's stuff, especially Genesis, my favorite, is there really any point in continuing the upgrade path. Or as I suspect, have the I reached the old proverbial "point of diminishing returns"?

Before I replaced my Sonic Frontiers preamp, I would have agreed pretty much on this idea of diminishing returns. But, after buying and using the Ayre K-1x preamp(using balanced in/out), I believe there is much to be gained via upgrade, sorry to say!
As far as early Genesis, the texture & layering of Tony Bank's keyboards and Hackett's guitar are so sweet, I have never heard it like this, and I bought these albums new 30+ years ago in 1972-1974, and have never stopped listening to them. I marvel at what I have missed on these over the years. (The remastered CDs are what I listen to now; LPs are well-worn by now).
Try the Mike Oldfield remasters...VERY nicely done, long cuts,worth the $10 they can be found at!