Oregonpapa, your second paragraph directly above puts it perfectly!
J. Gordon Holt's first priority in music reproduction was lack of "vowel" colorations, followed by degree of transparency (concepts borrowed from photography---vowel colorations equating to inaccurate color temperature, and transparency to a high-resolution camera lens). Harry Pearson greatly valued the ability to create a three-dimensional image of an instrument, a voice, or an orchestra on a stage. Art Dudley values none of those nearly as highly as a system's ability to provide the forward momentum of music, it's "temporal" characteristic, feeling that Gordon and Harry's concerns relate to a static object, ignoring the inherent fluid nature of music, it's most important characteristic. Lots of audiophiles crave maximum low-level detail, it seems.
I can't fault any of them! But mine is "immediacy" and lightning fast micro-dynamics, the quality I find most lacking in music reproduced. Like everyone says, you can tell music is live from a block away from a stage, no matter the absence of imaging, or the amount of coloration from the live sound reinforcement system. I look for gear that does THAT the best, like the direct-to-disc LP, electrostatic loudspeakers (or horns, but they are just SO colored!), and the Decca/London phono cartridge. All of those have severe limitations and failings of their own, but you STILL can't have it all, no matter how much you spend. To each his own!
