Well it appears as if Larryi and myself are in complete disagreement. That's ok, that's why they make so many different flavors.
I do have to say that I don't agree that "balancing" rarely works out as planned. In fact, I believe that we all balance our systems. In the "more than one way to skin a cat" category, I find that many audiophiles argue over which preamp, amp, cartridge, etc is better, when the answer lies within their own systems and rooms.
For example, I tend to enjoy warm, musical speakers, soft dome tweeter type. Now I like to pair them with revealing electronics like Audio Research or VAC gear. I've found that C-J and Cary gear put me to sleep. Now I know many people love C-J and Cary, and when I look at their systems, I usually see them using more revealing speakers, cables, etc. Koetsu cartridges don't work in my system. Now maybe if I buy more revealing speakers and cables (Nordost?) I'd like the Koetsu with a C-J preamp, who knows? Now how about the room? Is it a dead room? A lively room?
From my experiences, it's ALL about balancing. ALL warm equipment will lull me to sleep. ALL thin equipment will have me running from the room pulling my hair out. I think the sound that we all enjoy is more similar than many people realize. There are just many different ways to arrive at the same destination. As always, YMMV.
I do have to say that I don't agree that "balancing" rarely works out as planned. In fact, I believe that we all balance our systems. In the "more than one way to skin a cat" category, I find that many audiophiles argue over which preamp, amp, cartridge, etc is better, when the answer lies within their own systems and rooms.
For example, I tend to enjoy warm, musical speakers, soft dome tweeter type. Now I like to pair them with revealing electronics like Audio Research or VAC gear. I've found that C-J and Cary gear put me to sleep. Now I know many people love C-J and Cary, and when I look at their systems, I usually see them using more revealing speakers, cables, etc. Koetsu cartridges don't work in my system. Now maybe if I buy more revealing speakers and cables (Nordost?) I'd like the Koetsu with a C-J preamp, who knows? Now how about the room? Is it a dead room? A lively room?
From my experiences, it's ALL about balancing. ALL warm equipment will lull me to sleep. ALL thin equipment will have me running from the room pulling my hair out. I think the sound that we all enjoy is more similar than many people realize. There are just many different ways to arrive at the same destination. As always, YMMV.