does a stereo system sound like live music ?


i believe that a stereo system recreates about 10 % of what a live orchestra sounds like.

therefore, i also believe that a $350 Brookstone personal stereo based on the nxt technology sounds closer to most stereo systems, at any cost, than most stereo systems do when reproducing the sound of an orchestra.
mrtennis
no. never will

but i postulate that it aint the playback system it's the recording that has the main effect. Especially multi channel mixed stuff where the engineer gets to monkey with things so that they bear no resemblance to the balance that you would experience live. I say this because playing recorded music back through a PA don't sound like live music. Live music is the result of a bunch of independent sources interacting whith each other and the room creating a stage volume which may be further altered by shoving it all through the board and effects and then the mains and then into the room. no way can that be recreated, even multichannel. even solo instruments aren't accurately recorded IMO. the dynamics and texture of my 40 watt guitar amp would challange about any system to reproduce it due to what goes south in the recording process.

When building or evaluating a system one can shoot for more realistic accurate timbres on the instruments, which are much more pleasing through a high dollar rig than a cheap one. You get way more details out of a high dollar rig than a cheap one. The artificial soundstage on a well set up high dollar rig provides an interesting environment to escape into. This last factor is most important for me.

As to musicians not caring about high dollar gear most musicians i know dig a good system but they tend to have GAS and don't make a lot of money. In a decisions between money poured into play back gear or source material which can be used to advance their playing the source material wins. A bass player friend of mine has 11 peach crates of LPs and thousands of cds all played through a cheap reciever/CD system with old bookshelf speakers and a 30 yr old turntable. All his money goes to music.
A photograph also doesn't look like the real thing but that doesn't mean the difference between a Leica and a cheap disposable is not meaningful. However, there is a market for both. So it does depend on what you value and can afford.
I enjoy music on whatever equipment whether it be a walkman, car stereo, dvd player through the tv! Right now as I type I am listening to music through a cheap Creative pc speakers set up. Very enjoyable. But when the big system gets turned on....Bliss.
I do enjoy my 10%.
Ps Mrtennis, out of interest how do you get to a figure of 10%?
the reference to 10 percent was based upon an article i had read in either absolute sound or stereophile.