Live vs home system???

I just heard Holy Cole in a small and well-known jazz club in Boston. It was dreadful. The sound came out of three large speakers via a mixing board. Scale was wrong, bass too loud, etc. Even worse was Patricia Barber in Cambridge a year ago. Though my system hardly sounds real, I much prefer it to those two live performances.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra, on the other hand, sounds fantastic. I just heard Brahm's violin concerto from center orchestra seats and I was nearly moved to tears. My system can't come close. The BSO is my clear reference and what I compare my system to every time I make changes and attempt improvements. I have never heard better than the BSO and only a few systems in my experience have even hinted at that sound.

Boston Symphony Hall has ATC's installed. WGBH studios has been using ATC's for as long as I can remember. Although, nothing can reproduce attending a live orchestra with good seats.

Shadorne, I can almost guarantee that the ATC's in Symphony Hall would never actually be used in the BSO's regular classical symphonic concerts. They would be used for the Boston Pops, depending on what the program was - they would only be used if something was being miked live, for instance a vocalist in a pops show. About the only exception that would ever occur in a regular classical subscription series program that I can think of off the top of my head would be a classical guitar concerto - and even then, I am not certain that it would be pumped through the hall's speaker system - often it is just a moniter on stage. I can ask friends in the orchestra if you are curious, and get back to you in a couple of days.

Interesting Rnadell

the question is what live music are we comparing to?

We're not -- or shouldn't be IMO. At home we create a musical event;
I don't think we should refer to precise reproduction of live music as the target reference for a system.

Live music teaches us characteristics of musical instruments, of how musicians work, of the soul musicians put into their playing... but we surely can't expect to bring Albert Hall into our living room!
My 2.1c

Interesting comments, the info presented has helped me with my own feeling about listening to music. I have read other threads where some folk advocate recreating the live experience and never could get a feel for that goal. Seems like my goal has been to create an experience that is not fatiging, one that invites you to listen. Does anyone have experience with the pyscological aspect of music listening?
THANKS to all for the participation..
Happy Holidays and enjoy the music
Richard