boy, what a pissssing contest! stt, i expect that youre going to take the stance of an AES member which doesnt always jibe with audiophiles. i agree though that reproduction cant compare directly with live performance nor even a master tape.

as much as we all parrot the love of accuracy, sometimes that factor can prove to be less than satisfying. still, we strive for accuracy to the live experience.

there are some things we must agree to disagree on and neither side will ever prove the other entirely wrong.

preferences loom mightily on both sides of the fence as illustrated by mark waldrop's preference for the surround presentation whereas i prefer the audience view.

he is highly skilled and well educated and way prefers digital over analog.

to me, there seems to be something more complete about analog and the way tubes present both analog AND digital.

electrostats and other planar speakers arent often used in the studio as conventional dynamic drivers will usually play louder and are the tools most sound engineers evolved with.

when we pronounce in absolutes, we are displaying an unwillingness to consider other viewpoints. many of the ideas expressed here are worth at least consideration.