I strive to achieve a recreation that is as accurate as possible. Since perfection isn't possible, this really means that I try to limit the amount and severity of anomalies. Where there are compromises to be made - and there always are - I choose what's important to me, being realistic about what resources are available.

As much as I prefer to stay objective, the fact is that it still boils down to an emotional response.

I believe it's about what you like, can hear, and what you like about what you hear. I used to be into Dylan and the Band, Joan Jett and stuff like that, loved accuracy and power. Now, like many older audiophiles who have burned out a portion of their hearing but still have perfect pitch, I'm into cellos, oboes and the like. I don't believe the most accurate systems let one hear stuff like the differences between a 1965 Martin guitar and a Gibson, just because our present systems still need to greatly compress the dynamic range. Maybe in ten years.

So I like pure analog tube sound, turntable to SET to sensitive speakers at this point in time. I leave accurate reproduction to my home theatre system, 'cause the soud engineers there strive to make films that can sound better soundtrack-wise with accurate playback equipment. With music, I love the sound of harmonics that might not even have been there in the third row (orchestra) center seat.

I think some of my audiophile friends are gonna flame me on this one.