Schroder sq and the new talea

... Without love for music such attempts look to me as absurd ...

Well, this is subjective. When you like the music it doesn't matter from what kind of source it is coming, MP3, Car Stereo or Gramophone.

High End Audio actually used to have a goal: perfect reproduction of the sound of real music performed in a real space. That was found difficult to achieve, and it was abandoned when most music lovers, who almost never heard anything except amplified music anyway, forgot what "the real thing" had sounded like.
Today, "Good" sound is whatever one likes.

Dear Nandric, as much as I am taken with truly great sonic reproduction and the way it can open up certain aspects in complex music textures (Mahler Symphonies, Schoenberg - "Pelleas and Mellisande" for instance...) - I honestly meant that high-end audio is utterly obsolete for the enjoyment of music.
The most moving moments in music in my experience were via kitchen radio or car radio - it was a matter of the moment, the right music and a certain mood which created those unforgettable moments.
It was never because of the sound.
There are great moments in audio - no doubt and no argument.
I have them every day, but that has to do ( at least in my experience which of course is purely individual ) with sensual receipt of great acoustic sensations.

And you will find ( most likely have already ...) audio fanatics whose record collections in size and musical "content" clearly show, that love for music has nothing to do (for them...) with high-end audio.
To me High-end audio is about SOUND reproduction - not music.
Each has it's meaning to me - in the right frame of context and importance.
And I strive every bit as hard as everyone here on Audiogon for the best possible (individually spoken ...) sound in my set-up.
But Beethoven's Op.132 can bring tears to my eyes while riding by car in the night - via low quality broadcast.
Best,
D.

Dear Syntax, I am not able to see Dertonarms 'system' so I
can only quess but I can see yours. Your system is in my opinion in contradiction to your opininion as stated. But my quess regarding Dertonarm system is that the Dollar value of it would allow him to spend the rest of his life in a concert hall.
Regards,

All I can say is that before I jumped into the higher end I did not own, nor did I listen to, any jazz or classical music. I have about 2000 records now and the fastest growing part of my stash is jazz and classical music. For me, high-end stereo has provided an exposure to and a source for this music beyond having to travel into the city. In short, I can listen more often to music that I haven't had major exposure to and that has expanded my enjoyment of music of all genres. The better my playback gets, the easier it is to hear and experience the inflection and nuance that the players use to interpret the scores. Yes, I have had those special moments while listening to a song on the radio or on the cdp in my truck. And they are special moments, but I have more of the special moments in my listening room as well. It is still the music that moves me, and high end audio allows me to hear even more of it.

Frankly, the best system I heard at RMAF was the one I turned on when I returned back home. ;-)

FWIW, IMO, etc.

Dear Nandric, ..."But my quess regarding Dertonarm system is that the Dollar value of it would allow him to spend the rest of his life in a concert hall." - that may be true, but you can apply that to many Audiogon'ers set-ups.
Meanwhile I am really tempted to post a virtual system ..... ;-) .....

As I said - I too like the sensation of great sound, but it has nothing to do with my love for music. I - for me myself - do draw a line of distinction here. Sound here - music there. They rarely do need each other.