Alta Audio Adam loudspeaker $18,000 Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/alta-audio-adam-loudspeaker

I’ve long found the analogy between loudspeakers and musical instruments flawed. The reason is simple and, to me, obvious. The goal of a string-instrument designer is to create a device that transforms a string’s vibrations into rich and interesting sound, while the goal of a loudspeaker designer is to create a device that accurately reproduces a record of a sonic event. The loudspeaker designer has an obligation to fidelity that the instrument-maker doesn’t share. When a quality violin plays a G5, the second harmonic is down just 5dB or so compared to the fundamental.

There’s another part of me, however, that suspects that the very best components, including loudspeakers, manage to transcend mere fidelity and deepen our experience of listening. Whether that has anything to do with loudspeakers acting like musical instruments, I have no idea.