For the last 4 days I've stayed up two nights rewiring and rearranging 3 sound systems in my home, my theater and both systems in my listening room. You guys have inspired me to make everything sound better.
I've come to the conclusion that I don't care about being accurate with my systems that are for enjoyment but I do want the most accurate system I can get for my professional mixing system. There is such a big difference between the two in terms of sound it's startling. You can't have both accurate and magical for now because the technology doesn't exist yet IMO.
Yesterday I herd a choral group from a local high school sing Carol of the Bells with only piano the singers were positioned around the auditorium no PA system, the sound was perfect. It was so beautiful, of course I was thinking about the acoustics and the phasing between the singer that were close to me and the ones that were farther away, it was beautiful and so far above anything I've ever heard coming from microphones or speakers.
My entertainment listening systems are hissy run by tube amps and sound magical there is no question about the depth the warmth and the enjoyment. My professional system is quiet sounds articulate edgy and naked, very few things look good naked.
This idea does have to do with powered speakers and technologies that make playing back music more accurate, until we can get microphones, speakers, electronics, and the processes that your brain goes through when translating sound to music there will be a detachment between playing back sound and music. OMG maybe I'll totally give up and go out and buy a record player.