I don't want to beat a dead horse but I'm bugged.

I'd say the objectivists have a tall task in front of them.

It is even worse than ^that^, as the recordings have been coloured in a rainbow fashion by the recording engineers.

If we use the term “high fidelity”, then at least we can say that we do not want the playback system to be supplying further changes to the recording.

This may be what Olive referred to as, “the circle of confusion?”

@sns 

I've interpreted color from every single audio system I've ever heard, and that would range all the way from sterile to extremely romantic. Perhaps some believe accuracy lies somewhere outside this all encompassing bell curve. Please suggest to all us deluded audiophiles a single outlier system that is accurate and devoid of color, I really want to hear music reproduced with absolute accuracy. 

Astute observation/comment as is the norm from you.

@holmz 

I haven't heard Atma-sphere latest solid state amplifiers. I'm very familiar with his OTL amplifiers which I find really good. 

I've heard benchmark on several occasions and don't share the enthusiasm some listeners /owners have expressed,  if you like their sonic performance then good for you. Again I believe that you and I simply have different taste and preferences as to what sounds right.  Not unexpected in the realm of High End audio so neither you nor  I can be declared right or wrong,  just different. 

Charles 

Again I believe that you and I simply have different taste and preferences as to what sounds right.  Not unexpected in the realm of High End audio so neither you nor  I can be declared right or wrong,  just different.

@charles1dad I do not have the Benchmarks, but would like to try them… Or the new Atmasphere Class-D.

The old VTLs and PrimaLuna are both littered with the pleasant harmonics.

I did hear a Purifi based Class-D and it was sort of quiet sounding, which I attribute to less harmonic overtones from the amp and speakers. But it was not my speakers, and not in my room. It did seem very nice, and it also measures well.

And so we have a post in regard to the truth of colored recordings, no doubt this true. So let's say we have a  recording to the sterile side of spectrum, played back on cooler sounding system would maintain it's position on spectrum. The same recording played back  on more romanticized or warm system would sound closer to neutral on spectrum. And then we have recordings all over the color spectrum, various colors of systems will provide greater or lesser synergy. And then we could take what many would presume to be optimum color, neutral. Well, even this color may result in optimal or less than optimal synergy with various recordings.

I notice no takers on the accurate contention some objectivists maintain is optimal. How would this so called accurate system play with these recording colors? And that's a simple question to answer. Accuracy contentions in audio reproduction is a meaningless term. Prove accuracy is colorless, and further prove an accurate component or system is absolutely accurate. With some measure of critical thinking you'll find it impossible using objective analysis and/or reason.

I contend all audio reproduction components have colorations, with neutral being our closest conception to what would be accurate. But then one person's perception of what is neutral may not correlate with another's. See how problematic it is to conjure up some objective hierarchy of audio components and systems. The likelihood that each of us has an entirely unique system is symptomatic of the inherent subjectiveness of audio reproduction. Julian Hirsch long ago attempted to dictate some hierarchy, which he had to lie about with claims if they all measured the same they had to sound the same. The peeps found out this not true, and he fizzled away.