Ralph,
The setup you describe reminds me of the "Kunstkopf" experiments, done in Germany in the 90s. The results were fascinating as far as ambience rendering of the recording venue was concerned, but you had to wear special earphones to really appreciate the results. That was the reason that this technology never hit the mainstream. The few recordings that were made are collectible items now.
According to my long listening experience I would intuitively agree with you, that the media constitutes the biggest bottleneck for realistic rendering and indeed, as you also have suggested, I've been battling with my various rooms all of my audiophile life to minimize its interference. A task comparable to that of Sisyphus indeed!
Your tale about the chirping of the robbins makes me think as well:
I've been complaining quite often here, that what keeps us most away from the "Absolute Sound" at home,is what I call bloom or aura, that magic moment, where a note played, say from a solo violin spreads into space, emanating almost from all around the instrument. That is something distinctly different, I think, from what we have discussed here. Too much of holography spoils this by masking just that effect.
Quite possibly you are right, that it is the media, not the gear.
I do not have one CD that can do it. Mostly to mimic that effect, they mix in a bit of hall around the voice or instrument, which I find annoying. I know of a large number of classical piano recordings on LP, where you hear exactly where the right pedal sets in, but that is not quite the same thing either.
If it is the medium and not the "messenger"-rig, do you know of media that do truly render this "bloom", which apart from room-interference, as you so rightly point out,is to me the biggest obstacle to the "Absolute Sound" at home?
Cheers and thanks for your most valuable inputs here!
Detlof
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