"They are here" vs "You are there"... As others have said, it has to be a function of both the recording and the content. You'll never convince me "they are here" in any listening room when the content is large orchestra. So if my listening contained a large majority of orchestral performances, then I want "you are there". But by the same token, and as mentioned, I love "they are here" for smaller more intimate music. They other day it seemed like I could have reached out and touched Norah Jones. Not that I would. Either way, though, if the recording is more "20th row" vs "2nd row" then "you are there" is the best outcome.
Mike's quick qualitative summation was great, but I'm not sure I agree with the conclusion. I also agree with a lot of what others have said. But, without all the inner detail and subtle queues passed through the reproduction chain, then the listening experience is less intimate and therefore less likely to convey "they are here" for me, most of the time. I also disagree that tube recording equipment makes tube reproduction a logical choice. In fact perhaps the opposite. Sure some will always prefer the sound of open distortion, but tube phono into tube preamp into tube amp is never going to be transparent. And a high degree of transparency might just be the single most effective way to transport either the listener or the performer to another place, with the nature of the recording itself then being the arbiter of direction...