Difference between today and yesterday.

I do want to remember that the original post was: are speakers from yesteryear as good as today. And my response was: yes, from certain perspectives. Again, the midbass is wrong in very many speakers, yet it is rarely noted in reviews. My opera singer friend can tell --quite easily -- which speaker has a good midbass. He does not have to "compare" speakers: he's a musician. He listened to (good) recordings and was able, on the basis of his own personal experience with piano, flute and a few other instruments, to determine which speaker most accurately sounded "right" in that area. Memory, per se, is not a requirement here if one is a musician.
I think we got a little off track on fthe subject of the (original) post. It is not about personal preferences: it was a simple question of whether older speakers could compete with current speakers. In some cases, as I pointed out, they are equal to current equipment. In some cases, probably not.

This thread is a Mobius Strip; flips back around and goes nowhere.
Blessed Easter! :)

is it possible that musicians might disagree ?

if so, the answer to thread is: it is a matter of opinion and preference ?

if you can't compare the recording with the sound of the instrument recorded, you don't have a scientifc assessment of the accuracy/inaccuracy of timbre of a stereo system. you have an anecdotal account, based upon memory. even if you are a musician, your recollection is not perfect.

there is no reference, other than memory to compare to the sound of a stereo system, unless the musician is playing in the room and a recording is made of the performance.

if memory is the basis of judgment the result is conjectural, not factual.

MrT, forgive me, but we know that and you've repeatedly told the same thing ad ( my personal ) nauseam. The natural sciences, contrary to what many people think, do not reign supreme in all fields of human experience. Empiricism can be a valid source of knowledge, if you approach it carefully, especially in the Humanities.

There have been many demonstrations of speaker fidelity put on by speaker manufacturers. One of the first which I recall was done by AR back in its glory days.

A string quartet was seated on stage, along with some speakers. I think there was a translucent scrim curtain in front of the musicians and speakers. The musicians played, and the musicians simulated playing, and listeners could not distinguish what was going on at any particular time.

The chice of a string quartet was smart. If it had been an organ or a full orchestra the results would not have been so good.

Which harkens back to my posting of 3/15..."It depends on the music".