Does your system take you there or...?

I've been struggling with this issue but was unable to conceptualize it. Well done and thanks.

To me, the more I improve my system the less it feels like the musicians are sitting in front of me, and the more I'm transported to the recording venue. The increase in air, sound staging and detail tends to open a window that wasn't there before. I'm still not sure whether I prefer the more 'intimate' presentation, which focuses more on the individual instruments, or a more expansive presentation that, while having lots of detail, seems to blurr things a little bit, yet give me a better feeling of the whole.

It's kind of like being on stage, as opposed to being a few rows back. It certainly varies by recording, but the general pattern is the same.

Interesting issue. Now that I've spent the cash on the big rig, I guess there is no going back.

Well, the room is there no matter what so that is a factor no matter what.

Different systems will sound different even in the same room. Some may seem to interact with teh room more so than others. It all depends.

Not sure what else to say. If it sounds good, it sounds good. Some recordings may sound live especially if you close your eyes. Others sound like recordings. It all depends.....

are we talking some guy with a guitar, some folk singer or are you speaking of groups such as Wynton's Jazz orch or a Symphony Orch? It don't take much to put a solo guitar in the room.

Thanks for the interesting commentary so far. I used Ani as an example because it's easier for me to visualize walking around in a small ensemble rather than walking around in an orchestra.

As I said, I prefer having the performance in my room, but that's not saying that the cues regarding the original venue are missing. It's more of an experience of my room being partially transformed. On Ani's recording, there is a living, breathing invisible person in my room. It's more like I can walk around in the performance. The same thing happens with larger works like Mozart's Requiem, but to a lesser degree. For me, this presentation is more "real" but not necessarily as "accurate" at reproducing the original performance. There is a real experience that a performance is happening rather than listening to a recreation of a performance.

Some may not like it that way-- my wife, for example. She likes being able to see the details of the venue like she is there but looking over the railing from a balcony seat. But there is a boundary that can't be crossed.

PMB

Yep, different strokes for different folks for sure....