This is the part I like in that article and feel the same when it comes to high end,
"People talk about "musical system" these days. Well, for me, there are two kinds of "musical system". One that connects you to the music so strongly that you forget about the gear and bath in the glory of music. The other that's totally boring as an audio system, so you just try to concentrate on whatever the music it's playing. Despite their shortcomings by today's standard, those systems at Jazz/Classical Cafe definitely belonged to the former. They weren't an all-around performer, like many of today's mainstream systems try to be. Mainstreamers are like an all "A" student for me. They do academic things well, but whether you want to become friends with them is a different story. Your best friend may not do so well at school and you may have to help him with homework sometimes, but he can be fun, joyous and thrilling to be with.
The sound of Jazz Cafe lives in my memory and it must be very much beautified by time. If I could visit one of them today, the impression might be a bit different. But it gives me a slightly different perspective when I listen to a system and when I think about audio. Audio is so closely tied to music, and music to life. I don't want it to be micro-managed just in the context of the current highend. Audio can be wider, deeper, richer, and more imaginative, than that."
david