Accuracy vs. musicality

One more thought on this topic.
 You’re never going to get a full symphony orchestra in your listening room, no matter how accurate or expensive your system is.
 The illusion of an orchestra is all you’ll get.  At times this approximation is not achieved by the most “accurate” components. I’ve sometimes  gotten the illusion better with lower quality gear.  It’s not an exact science.

Very few would really enjoy a perfectly accurate speaker.

IME, accuracy and musical are the exact same thing. If its somehow able to be accurate but not musical- that suggests a distortion of some kind- which suggests its not accurate. 

Quite literally the two cannot be mutually exclusive.

The illusion of an orchestra is all you’ll get.  At times this approximation is not achieved by the most “accurate” components. I’ve sometimes  gotten the illusion better with lower quality gear.  It’s not an exact science.

Yes. Setup is crucial and the room plays an enormous role. Modest equipment, if carefully vetted, can easily outperform much more expensive gear  if the latter is hampered by the room.

The more the sonic illusion of a full orchestra is created, the more it's going to fight with your perception (or at least knowledge, if eyes closed) that the room you're in could not get close to housing a full orchestra.  I think that's why I tend to prefer speakers that project a more laid-back or distant soundstage--the impression is of listening from a row further back in the auditorium, from which point the image of the orchestra would be narrower.

jhills,

Fascinating.

My impressions of the Raidho monitors vs the Gershman speakers I've heard was precisely the reverse of yours.

The Raidho sound actually has a reputation for not being in the "strictly accurate/neutral" school of design.   They deliberately depart from flat and are more designed by and for the ear, and have a dip in the upper midrange giving them a smooth, middle or further hall sound, though highly resolved.  

That's exactly what I heard when I auditioned them.  Unfortunately I found the frequency scoop a bit too obvious and all sorts of transient information I new well (e.g. cymbals, guitars etc in certain tracks) were reduced in vibrancy and presence.

On the other hand I find the Gershman sound to be competent, but more in the "fatiguing after a while" category.

Go figure!

Twoleftears,

Point well taken.  If you close your eyes, you can imagine “being there” with a more distant perspective.  This applies to the engineering of the recording  as well.
However, some labels have such a distant image, it’s hard for me to believe I’m there (e.g. Reference Recordings.)