Most recordings are abstract constructions, not accurate reproductions of live music.

Evidence

In its early years high fidelity, hi-fi, had the goal of replicating, as accurately as possible, live musical experiences. That goal has prevailed in certain quarters of audio over the decades, but the reality for most recordings is that they are abstract musical creations, carefully manipulated to deliver pleasing experiences through loudspeakers. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 877

Categorization

• DEFINE: Sharpens what ‘high fidelity’ has come to mean versus its original intent — a useful framing for the whole field.
• XREF: Echoes the larger theme in this book about objective accuracy vs. subjective preference; connects to early chapters on loudspeaker evaluation.