I agree with you somewhat, however everything is relative. This is where our old friend Stove Piping comes in. I have been continuously working to improve our lot resolution wise, myself, lo all these years and I think I can say without fear of contradiction that you (the editorial you) have a long way to go if you haven't successfully integrated a lot of new technologies that come down the pike in the last twenty years, including something's that are coming down the pike even as we speak. Acoustic resonators (including but not limited to those tiny little bowls and Mpingo discs everyone gets so nervous about), vibration isolation (ye olde mass on spring concept - it's good enough for the hunt for gravity waves experiment and it's good enough for me), constrained layer damping (not to be confused with rubber, Sorbothane, bricks, Silly Putty, mortite, or Blu Tak), quantum this and that, Bybees, WA Chips and Super Chips, hi-permeability mu metal for making "hat boxes" for toroidal transformers, anti RFI/EMI 3M AB5100S for making little "graduation hats" for all semiconductor chips and protecting all flat ribbon connectors, coloring CDs with Orange, Purple, Green and Black permanent ink pens, mind matter interaction (e.g., Silver Rainbow Foil and a certain little battery powered clock), invisible laser light absorber, cryogenics for just about anything you can shake a stick at. Look Ma, no speakers! Just a little old headphone system.

Would it be too much of a troll to say that what you hear at a live unamplified concert is not all the sound that is there and what you hear when you take a walk through the woods or when you are just sitting there on your iPad is not all the sound that is there?

"Metaphysics is fine but it doesn't pay the rent." Old audiophile expression

Geoff Kait
Machina Exotica