For You: THE most imprortant element...

I agree with Drubin and the Trekkie (couldnt resist). Taking for granted that we are listening to music we like, accurate tonality comes first for me, then dynamic realism, then imaging (ie 3 dimensionality), then soundstaging.

...is being able to get lost in the music. When suddenly it's 2AM, and the past hours belonged only to oblivion, things are just right.

Most important is accurate retrieving of low level musical information. Without? Musicality and sense of ambience and space, is lost.

Actually, I think your's is the first comment I've received on my A'Gon alias Paulwp :). I thought it doubly appropriate given the forum topic here and the fact that I tend to lurk more than post (though I am *not* the phantom -2, -2 lurker-rater ;).

Fpeel- you hit it right on the money; though I hate getting up to go to work the next morning. I just don't seem able to stay up into the wee hours like I used to- getting old I guess :).

I am with Ken. The timing cues that let you sink into or be swept up in the music are critical and unfortunately misunderstood alongside the more obvious issues of detail, dynamics and neutrality.