The Absolute Sound vs Pleasing Sound

Hello Russ69,  I’ve been through the same situation as you. I have 3 systems in my home. One system is 200 watt SS class A mono amps into Electrostats and two other setups are tube amps, EL34 100 watt and mono 18 watt 300b amps into conventional speakers. I’ve found that thru experience, accurate sounding systems are not what I’ve enjoyed best long term. What I’ve moved in tweaking my systems is a very transparent sound, with great detail and resolution but with fullness of tone and musicality.  So my setups are super open and super expanded with great detail, height, depth, and resolution but above all, the systems have been tweaked to reveal tonality and musical fullness.  When I think of an accurate sounding system, I think that the sound is sharp and thin at times, lacking a sense of sounding like REAL MUSIC should. I’ve heard some very accurate high level systems and they’ve sounded great but when compared to a system that gives all the same detail and performance but in a more relaxed and musical way, I prefer the latter sound. So I’m trying to understand what do you mean by an absolute sound.  

Striving for the sound of live is a fool’s folly”. Yet, in the same post the same poster goes on to state: “I want my system to have as little coloration as possible”.

Nothing contradictory I can see.  I am not striving for live sound in club, concert hall or outdoor venue but the best reproduction of the media I am listening too. In striving for reproduction I want my electronics to  add as little coloration as possible to the media.  If I am playing digital then I want a DAC that measures beyond human hearing so I am not coloring the media, I want an amplifier that measures as close as possible as well again not adding to the media. It all falls apart when speakers and your room are  tossed in but I aim for speakers with a very good FR, measure the room, address the problems either with passive or active solutions. Maybe this is also a fools errand but I figure I've done the best I can to try to recreate high fidelity of the media not the live event. I have no control over the production of the media but I can try to get off of it what was put on it as best as I can.  I understand I am in the circle of confusion as F. Toole  puts it but I figure it's the best I can do. 

We all do the best we can do and thanks for addressing my comment. I understand your point, but it is obvious that I didn’t do a good enough job of explaining that point. I see it as a contradiction because as I said before: how do you know? How do you know that those “perfect” measurements are absolute and reflect precisely what the medium is “saying”; that they tell, not only the whole story, but the true story. I realize that those measurements are all we have to “prove” the technical side of things, but in my experience they often don’t tell the whole story. I prefer to use measurements as a guide, but let my ears have the final say; and my ears often tell me a different story. Example of one area where you and I would definitely disagree: FOR ME, good tube gear, those “distortion generators”, while having their own issues let me hear nuances in the areas of timbre and sense of aliveness that I don’t hear from most solid state and the result, to my ears, is usually closer to what I hear live; and, yes, I’ve heard and owned some pretty good solid state gear. I believe Ralph Karsten has done a very good job here of explaining the technical reasons for some of this. Way above my (technical) pay grade,

As I said before, I don’t think we disagree fundamentally. You want to get closer to the medium; I want to get closer to the original event. The medium is closer to the original event than anything that can be achieved by going in the other direction with manipulation of the sound in order to meet a personal ideal. I call it getting as close as possible to the sound of live. You call it adding as little coloration as possible. I’m good with that.

Regards.

Please read my posts a little more carefully; if you care.