No matter how powerful or accurate the system providing reproduction of recorded music, there will always be the simple physical fact that the act of a diaphragmatic/ribbon/other enabled transduction of vibrating air molecules to an electrical signal will always result in loss of harmonic content of timbre, dynamic range due to compression, and a distortion of equalization, among other frictional and lossy characterstics. This is where the greatest loss of the "live experience" happens. I don't care how expensive the Neumanns or Schoepps are. Everything then downstream of that initial lossful capture further distorts the musical from the live experience. There is no way of getting around these simple facts; mechanical energy to electronic energy (often to numbers!) and back again introduces unavoidable transductionally sourced time, phase and dynamic distortions.
I long ago let go the "absolute sound" expectation in favor of simple enjoyment of the playback of well recorded (not perfect) music in my home. Fortunately, the brain can do wonderous processing to make up for upstream losses of the recording process when one is happily listening to music that is truly enjoyable. This is the same brain that allows us to read a good novel and be "in the space" conveyed by words alone on a two dimensional surface. Our single most important and accurate "audiophile" component is that which we received free of charge between our ears.
I long ago let go the "absolute sound" expectation in favor of simple enjoyment of the playback of well recorded (not perfect) music in my home. Fortunately, the brain can do wonderous processing to make up for upstream losses of the recording process when one is happily listening to music that is truly enjoyable. This is the same brain that allows us to read a good novel and be "in the space" conveyed by words alone on a two dimensional surface. Our single most important and accurate "audiophile" component is that which we received free of charge between our ears.