We ultimately judge the performance of our system but how closely it brings us to music. Real music.
So, if in 1981 we had systems that brought us close to the music, where a violin sounded like a violin, a Fender Stratocaster like a Fender Stratocaster, how much progress could we legitimately claim over the ensuing 40 years?
Probably lots and here's why. Using the identification of one instrument from another is somewhat of a strawman argument. Fact is, I can distinguish the sound of a violin as well as a Stratocaster from inside my car from an MP3 source.
So it isn't so much the proper identification of instruments, but rather how close we can get to creating a realistic space where we believe the musicians are playing in our room.
IMHO that's a truer mark of the classic goals of high end audio.
We've come a long way in the ensuing 40 years, but we still have a long way to go.
