What define "musicality" ? And what constitute "musicality" in audio ?

When I was young (20 years old) a friend of mine,older, introduce me to audio...Together we listen to classical music, on his homemade speakers, with relatively good amplifier(phase linear)… I dreamed years after that to listen my Bach on a good system with some "musicality" to my ears... My own system at this times was particularly minimalistic and not so good...

Then 45 years later, i succeed (relatively speaking for sure) to create some relatively good, for the price paid, audio system, even if i never had enough money to buy what I dream for in audio... To touch this dream then i read a lot on many audio forums for the last years, at the end, modulo some information, I succeed by wise purchase with few bucks to devise, with luck and mostly experiments, some audio system with a relative and satisfying "musicality"... The greatest improvements always comes from simple experiments with room and gear , way more than from the purchase of the amp,speakers,dac .etc For sure it is very important to buy the right product, but money dont buy necessarily audio "musicality" nor good taste,nor ears education... This is my simple history and the reason why I am interested by you and your own discoveries...I want to learn and read from you, simply that...Suggestions are welcome,observations are welcome...

If you want to say anything else,be like Geoffkait, always short and sweet, and most of the times funny...

@mahgister: "I am interested by you and your walk and particular road and experience in audio toward simple joy"

Okay, I'll bite. Others have heard this before. I have always been a music lover. I have always had some sort of 'system' but mostly low-fi. And for decades had great enjoyment of music on those low end systems. Usually on weekends.

Last summer I inherited a really nice system 16-17 year old system that had been languishing in a basement.  I wasn't even sure how to hook it all up....had never seen XLR cables or bi-wired speaker wires bigger than a garden hose.

The first try out of the system was disappointing. Sounded flat and low bass.

So I came to this site and got some advice about old gear that had been sitting a long time, room dynamics, etc. When I got all that right I was blown away. Dropped DirecTV and now listen to music every day. Mostly the same music as before just on a better system. I've been replacing a lot of that music which was mp3s purchased on iTunes with well researched and well produced CDs.

So what grabbed me? Transparency. The system disappears. Richness. Fullness. Ample soundstage. Separation. Precision without sterility. Nice highs without glare or being too bright. And one of the most important things to me: bass. Not thumpy boomy bass but tight, precise, well defined bass that is balanced with the highs and mids but still able to thump when it should. That's what keeps me coming back and what has given new life to the music I have always liked.

Ah! thanks very much N80..Very interesting read for me... Your history enlightened my day...Please would you described this miraculous inheritance... I am curious and hooked by your personal story...The story of each one of us is at the end the story of all...Thanks to you... Reading you I understand you so much...

"Your history enlightened my day"

Glad my story could do that.

My system was originally purchased by a fairly wealthy bachelor cousin. When he moved out of his home and into a penthouse apartment he told family members to come get whatever of his stuff they wanted. He was going minimalist. I thought all this was kind of strange and did not go.

But, my brother-in-law and his family jumped in the truck and got some of his stuff. In that stuff was this system. I think they thought they were getting something like those multi-component systems from the 1980s.

When they got it home the wife didn't want the giant speakers in the house and they did not know how to hook it all up anyway and so it went in their basement for several years. I knew it was there but had no notion of what it was.

So when my low end system started to fail I asked him if I could try that stuff. Once I got it all going I told my brother-in-law how great it was but he did not want it and did not want it back in his basement. So here I am.

Thanks N80...
Interesting how luck drives sometimes our life, and I understand your "musicality" moment revelation...For example after gaining that audio "musicality"at the end of my 7 years quest I listen now to new music that was not my first love...Jazz for example, I like it very much in my improved audio system... My first love was Bach and choral music and piano with the divine Scriabin, I can listen that on any system even a bad one because I love this music so much... But new musical tastes for me sometimes are possible only in an improved audio system to sound at his best... I am also now interested in therapeutical music,classical Indian music and Persian ancient music or Iranian contemporary music and it is more easy to taste that with a good system...