It's a matter of taste

My favorite dish is probably not yours. And my favorite restaurant may or may not be to your liking. Each of us has personal favorites that match our preferences: sounds, feels, looks, tastes, music, mates. It's true for you and for me. It's why there is no perfect DAC, preamp, speaker system. There can't be. Perfect suggests it matches everyone's taste and, as I just reminded us, everyone's tastes are unique. Some like their music stripped bare of fluff, added harmonics and richness. Others love it fat, full and warm. Still others somewhere in between. And each of us believes our preferences are closest to real. Of course, real and right are perceptions clouded by personal bias. We even pick our own best live venues, choosing one over the other because we like the way music is presented there, as opposed to here. Others go elsewhere. When I voice a piece of equipment I make sure it represents music in the way I perceive the sound of live. To me, it sounds more like musicians are in the room, and that's what I go for. When a group of us agree on something, it's called a community. Like minded people sharing and discussing the fine points of taste.