Type One: Detail, clarity, soundstage, the high resolution/accuracy camp. People who fall into this camp are trying to reproduce the absolute sound and use live music as their guide.
Live music in the recording studio or live music in a venue?
For me, there are a handful of factors that create a live music feeling....like the band is playing in my room.
They are:
1. Dipole radiation pattern.
2. No crossover above around 1500 hz.
3. No enclosed (box) speakers
4. SET or SEP amp. Or pure Class A. A simple design with little or no NFB is preferred.
5. A room that is not totally dead. The room needs some energy that is not absorbed.
6. A much smaller factor but still relevant is the DAC. NOS or R2R are IME closer to live music than Delta Sigma.