Intersting notes BR.
My take on it:
You bring up a good point that i look at as an idea that goes towards the futility of trying to find audio perfection. Although some errors MAY be delineated on certain music passages, a person should ask, "how often does such a condition occur to warrant the requirement for an amazingly refined piece of equipment when even an overdone error [such as Bren has put forth] is incredibly hard to hear on a relatively simple music selection?"
To hear even a truly blatant error (and anything beyond HTIB spec has to be beyond blatant), one must be listening to a specific music piece, recorded with utmost precision (a massive caveat in its own right), and only during a quiet passage?
There is a strive for audio perfection and then there is going overboard. If anything, ppl should be striving for a demand in better quality recordings, not just for the boutique name music groups, but for all bands, even the Spears and boy bands of our time, rather than pursue the beyond human limits equipment that will do so little to the sound reproduction itself (too many previously mentioned limitations).
Audio is still about the hobby though and one's perception of the fun of it. I love to think my shiny new cdp is actually better than my old one in some respects. I certainly have a pride in ownership once i buy something. But the reality of the finite occurrences, under which i've described, that a person could potentially hear a slight difference in sound fidelity is so incredibly remote, is it worth the cost of some of the crazy "upgrades" people buy?
Some will say "yes", and some will say "no".
Personally, i'm in the no camp. I view it as a situation where one worries the spec of sand on the 10 mile beach is not as brown as all the others. First you have to spot it!
Kudos for the sound bits though. These types of tests are good fun to challenge ones ears. Hopefully the Axiom folk with have a good demo setup for the picnic. It looks like i will be attending at this point. Hmm, perhaps an addition to the picnic thread to see who will be going is in order.
