If a " system " cannot do this, I move on........

Glen Gould was interested in recorded music with the idea that it allowed the performer to get out of the way of the music, to quit being such a distraction to the audience. It's funny we now talk about our stereos getting out of the way of the performer. Some music is all about putting attention on the performer. Or maybe it's just some ways of listening to music are like that. I tend to think more like Glen, and perhaps that sets a lower, more attainable bar to make a system that's primarily designed to convey the musical message rather than capture everything about the event and performers in ultimate realism.  It also makes life easier because a lot of good music isn't recorded in a way that can make that happen anyway. For me, the equipment bar is still fairly high because I want clarity without frequency response  kinks (on or off axis) or obvious distortions and resonances that are going to distract and fatigue me, and I prefer a narrower than usual dispersion pattern down as low as I can get it, which necessitates a large speaker. The setup I have now makes just about everything highly enjoyable for me to listen to. Because of the narrow dispersion and relative lack of early room reflections it lacks the immediacy some are looking for, the sense that someone is actually in the room with you. Instead they sound like they're singing into the room from wherever they were actually recorded, through an opening that is less than perfectly transparent in a way that makes differences between recordings less bothersome. 

@mrdecibel , I certainly did not intend on excluding the others. I was only talking about one note!

I was a DJ at UVM's radio station. RTF played both Burlington and White River Junction during the Where Have I Known You Before tour. I got to interview the entire band and had front row seats at both concerts:)

My goal has always been to create the "live" experience at home. To create the size and detail of a live performance it takes line source speakers. Dipole ESLs are perfect but they have to go floor to ceiling. To get the power of a live performance you have to use subwoofers and a lot of power. But, ESLs? Are they not limp when it comes to volume and dynamics? Not if you take 100 Hz and under away from them and with the right amps (high power class A) they thunder. Get the subwoofers right and you can easily create all the sensations of a live performance. You have to have the ability to boost the low end at least 3 dB at 20 Hz. I do 5 dB. That is measured in the room at the listening position, not at 1 meter. With multiple subwoofers in a line array you can limit room interaction and get pretty even bass throughout the room. Line array dipoles only require sound absorption behind the speaker. You can almost entirely eliminate the room signature this way. Experienced listeners will initially think the treble is rolled off until they hear a few cymbals. All the high end is there but it is in focus and not sprayed all over the place by reflections. The "brightness" of the reflected treble is gone. The drop in volume off axis of the ESLs is very dramatic and very sharp. Sound Labs are designed to have a 45 degree axis. They will do 90 degrees for very large rooms on request. If you stand directly to the side of the panel all the sound seems to come from the front wall even with 4" acoustic foam tiles on the wall! 

If people are looking for the sound and sensations of a live performance in their their home system it can be done. If using point source speakers you will be farther back in the hall. With line source speakers you are right up front. Either way you have to have aggressive bass performance below 100 Hz, down to at least 18 Hz. This is where all the sensation is coming from. No bass, no live performance. Room reflections create a sheen around the music that ruins the "live" effect. It covers the space between the instruments and voices blending them together. Only clever room treatment will get ride of this. DSP will not.

@mijostyn , I have owned panels, and set up many. I understand and appreciate their virtues. However, when I say nothing compares to a live concert, it is my opinion, a good horn system comes closest, but still, no cigar. Is it the equipment’s fault ( speakers specifically ) ? I find, as I state over and over again in these threads, that we are limited by the recordings. An example would be when my guitar buddy Mike and microphone Me take a mixer and play through my Lascalas ( or his, which are not modded to the same degree ), and play our music. They handle it all. Most speakers ( commercial home speakers ), ime, fall apart. And try taking them to 110 db and above.......I would bet you could damage them. This is all besides the point. On another thread, I mentioned the fabulous recorded work by Tony Minasian of Tonian Labs. After listening to his recordings, it becomes apparent, again, how limited we all are with our systems, having the ability to sound live ( the recordings ). Growing up around live music, and being introduced to Khorns very early in life, there is no other way my ears / brain can accept anything other than good horns. I want to say, Klipsch is not the be all/end all, but with intelligent mods and updates, they are amazing at their price point ( I am a huge fan of PWK, and had the privilege of meeting him ). It is all good. I am thrilled you found your nirvana, as I believe it is important for all listeners to find " theirs ", as we are all different in what we want. Thank you for a very informative interaction. Be well, always, MrD.

Have you ever considered some of the large JBL horns? The M2 or the home version 4367? Perhaps some of the screen arrays 4722's? Or Everest series. 

@mrdecibel , of course the effect is source limited. Some recordings, the minority are capable of supporting the "live" illusion, most are not. 

Horns, as big as they can be, are point source radiators. They produce a miniature sound stage just like any point source radiator. They project power just like any point source radiator, the volume rolls off at the cube of the distance. Linear arrays loose volume at the square of the distance, much slower. They produce a large, powerful sound stage. 

You do not want to ruin your ears with 110 dB but you can get the "live" effect at 95 dB just by boosting the bass a bit, 3 dB/oct below 100 Hz. But that has to continue down to 18 Hz, real in room measured response. There are many instances where the sound of a great home system is superior to the live performance especially where large venue concerts are concerned. 

Right at this moment there is only one full range line array on the market, the 8 or 9 foot Sound Labs ESL. Most people have the impression that ESLs are wimpy, easy to damage, lacking in dynamics and incapable of louder volumes. While this is certainly true of early Quads it could not be farther from the truth when Sound Labs are concerned. All you have to do is give them the right power and pass off 100 Hz and below to a subwoofer and you can go way louder than is safe. 110 dB is no problem. Dynamics are also not a problem. Nothing produces the snap of a snare drum like big ESLs. On Mechell Ndegeocello's Peace Beyond Passion the snare drum must have been recorded with the mic two inches away. That snap is thrilling to hear and sets the rhythm of each song. What a great record. "Jesus cured the blind man so he could see the evils of the world."

Even the visual sensations can be produced at home now. The Blu Ray of RTF's "Returns" is a great example. You can see as well as hear the concert better than if you were at the actual performance unless you were lucky enough to get front row seats. My own popcorn and a bathroom are just a few steps away. Parking is free!

I am pretty sure you can get similar performance from any type of loudspeaker. The trade offs would be size of the sound stage and the amount of acoustic treatment required to kill the room's signature. Horns are not a sure fire way either. Very few horn systems entirely lack that horn signature megaphone quality. The horn's most significant positive qualities are their efficiency and limited dispersion.