Why I like my home system better than live music

The two speakers that got cymbals right were Revel Ultima2 (Salon or Studio, it makes no difference for this test) and B&W 80xD (I've listened to the 800D & the 802D; they were equal in this regard). I bought the Revels.

A stick hitting a cymbal is a sound that can be easily recognized as right or wrong, because it's a purely mechanical sound, I think, but the sound produced is actually so complex. And it must often be loud. Done just right your reaction is: OMG, that sounds real. Some speakers I've heard that can't get a cymbal just right:

Wilson Sasha & the Maxx2.
Sound Labs. (This was the test that caused me not to buy a pair.)
Thiel 3.7
Avantgarde whatevers.
KEF 207/2
Legacys (including the latest Whispers.)
Linkwitz Orion. (Though these are truly excellent in many other ways. Actually, cymbals are one of the few sounds that ruin the "live" illusion with these speakers.)
I can't think of others off the top of my head.

I'm not saying cymbals are the ultimate speaker test, but they appear to be a test for accuracy that easily produces a "right" and "wrong", in a way other difficult to reproduce sounds don't seem to.

IRv,

How do you know not getting the cymbals right was the speakers fault?

Is it possible it could have been the rest of the system ie the amp, source or other component (even ICs) or at least that these factors contributed?

Mapman, I was always listening to high quality solid state electronics, and I'm not one to believe that there's a significant difference between electronics at that quality level. I know that might be heresy here, but I'm pretty sure the differences I was hearing were in the speakers. Also, I never heard cymbals sound real with my old Legacy Focus, but with the same electronics (and cables) otherwise I heard the shock and awe effect on the same recordings with the Revels.

When Miles, and Coltrane, are visible playing, along

with my stuff, then I would like my home set-up more.

Watching Anthony Jackson give the ContraBass a work-out.

Bireli Lagrene, playing the guitar...

Dennis Chambers, giving Drumming 101.

Watching the expressions of these artists, is what I enjoy.

Pat Metheny, Carlos Santana, both put on tremendous

demonstrations, of their amazing talents.

At the Greek down in L.A., I would stop at "Tommys" and

score a famous chili-cheese, hotdog, and hamburger, and

head to the Greek. Those were some great times.

Now I put on a DVD of them playing instead.

All that is missing is "Tommys".

Concerts By The Sea, The Baked Potato, Catalina, were a few

places years ago, that provided great music, without the

mobs.

Phoenix and Tempe, used to have Jazz at a couple spots,

again, not to many folks, like "Red River" KYOT, the Local

Jazz station put on concerts, years back also.

People that listen to Jazz, LISTEN, they are very

friendly, especially the Musicians.

Indoors, or out, generally Jazz listeners, are pretty

easy going.

I Love Music!

Dracule1, I don't sit and constantly think about how recordings would sound live either. For me it is all about timbral accuracy. You will never know if your system is reproducing recorded music properly without comparing it to live acoustic music.

Its great to have a piano in the house to give you an idea of how your system is performing.

Is this how you used to think before you gained more experience?

I think there are times when we give our stereo system too much credit.