I love this topic. It really demonstrates so may ways to approach the hobby.
i think mostly different states of mind and degrees of effort. some of us break though to a level of music reproduction that builds on itself. what seemed untouchable becomes tangible. the taste of which pushes us further.
I have never heard a system that could extend my suspension of sonic disbelief for more than a second, ot two. So, every system ends up being a compromise, even 'no compromise' systems!
music reproduction is never completely real. we know that. but then real can't match reproduction at it's best either. the unique experience of great reproduction on it's own terms can be life altering. it might only do the suspension of disbelief here and there but the actual experience might be off the scale and full of wonder. this is my experience.
is that a mind trick? not for me. whether it is for you is up to you and your own efforts. it's personal.
last week i had a visitor and we had a few of these 'over-the-top' experiences where we were transported into a special place. one was listening to a 33 minute tape of 'Mountain Jam' from the Allman Brothers. recorded at the Filmore East in 1971. we knew it was not real, but we had one of those connected music reproduction experiences. it transcended mere reproduction to something higher.
how much of that was the system and the media? how much was our expectations and imagination? is the effort to push system development harder worth it? did we have a sense that what we experienced was compromised?
it does take all the pieces lined up to find this special place. not every piece of music i play get's all the way there. and i'm not always in the right head space, or have a willing partner who is also there. but sometimes, it does all work like that.
i do think that this higher level of music reproduction is one big reason i stick with analog sources, even though i listen to mostly digital. analog has that over the top gear it goes to that taps into our imagination and emotions and fills in the missing pieces better than digital and transports us further up the road to the sublime feelings. although i can have those feelings sometimes with digital too.
also not all high level systems get out of the way of the music in the same way. sometimes they have distracting sameness that reduces the sense of reality. or lack full frequency performance so some music lacks dynamics or realism. so these artifacts or missing parts make the music less special and the likelihood of hitting these high highs less. so system building philosophy also plays a part of reaching a 'done' point. it's harder for sure to keep things as complete and real as possible, but if you do then there is a payoff.
No matter how terrific a piece of gear or system or room might be, none last beyond an initial instant of 'could this be it?' before settling in to 'nope, but not bad.'
So, from that vantage, I can never be done. I will always be looking for a way forward on that front.
when i can tap into this level of musical experience when i choose it's easy for me to be done. i don't need to push any more. and many visitors to my room seem to agree with me. we can be all the way there to a good spot to be done. and that spot is not the same as live music. but it could be better in some ways. or just where we need it to be.
would many/most agree with me? who knows?
Then, no matter how good a system is, the way it falls short of reality will be the same over time. I think I habituate and eventually move on from any system because it will always do what it does in the same fashion, day after day.
or.......the way it succeeds at taking us to that higher point of experience can be fully satisfying......time after time. not that it's real. but it delivers. and then delivers some more.
or we can rationalize that our system will never be completely real so our efforts are tempered.
both are states of mind and there is no right answer.
Even sonic success from artist to artist, recording to recording, genre to genre can be almost impossible to achieve.
So, I end up eventually facing some sort sonic ennui, and I start to notice the roving in my eye.
i respect how you see things.
I love this hobby and search out new stuff to hear, but since nothing ever sounds like "mission fully accomplished" I don't think I will have a true "done" point. (I have plenty of "close enough" sonic toys, and I will rotate things in and out for fresh perspectives, but nothing has ever managed to make me think I am experiencing 'final destination' musical performance.)
None of that is meant in any contentious way, and I will go so far as to say this chase can be completely circular...sometimes our pursuit brings us back to where we were in the past and we 'reappreciate it' again before we pack up and move on again.
Maybe Hi Fi contains it's own version of "The Razor's Edge?"
enjoy your journey.
