Does the very best hi-fi get ignored? Discuss.

Lets examine what hi fi is supposed to be about i.e. the most life like reproduction possible with nothing added and nothing taken away from the original. How many items of hi fi equipment I wonder are passed by for doing exactly that??! If equipment has an unnaturally warm sound, or slightly excess bass giving impressive "slam", or excess brightness giving an "airy" effect, is it not often these items which are chosen, for sounding "better than real life" than the truly best equipment which gets closest to reality, warts 'n all??? I suspect that this is the case.

It's probable that the best pieces of hi fi equipment ever made are regarded as average or also-rans for the sin of not sounding artificially impressive! I wonder what others think about this?
I'm guessing many will say they don't care how accurate it is so long as they like it. If so then why not go the whole hog and add tone controls, graphic equaliser, digital reverb etc.... What is it we actually want from hi fi?

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