Mark, I LOVED your dissertation. Well said, and well done!
To me, the telling comment in the whole thing was this:
In reply to:
On Friday I loaded the entire "The Beach Boys: The Pet Sounds Session" boxed set into my changer, sat down with my drink, and never changed volume, opened my eyes to look (as if it helps) at the system critically, or cocked my head from side to side thinking I'm hearing something odd. I just enjoyed the music. The only thing that changed was the replenishment of my drink. It was a wonderful experience.
If anyone has not listening in as relaxed a position as possible, with eyes closed, I heartily recommend it. When you stop listening to your system and find yourself listening to the music, you're as close to audio heaven as you're going to get.
