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Live versus Recorded & Reproduced Music

Why do you all think that most of the time, you can tell whether music is live vs. recorded / reproduced in a second or two even though you can't see the source ? When you walk into a bar or hear music coming from down the street or in a park, you know right away if its live & it s often utilizing less than top quality equipment. 

I've heard many fine high end systems w/ top brands (as recently as the 2021 Capitol Audiofest) & in some fine audio stores that are very expensive which sound quite nice, clean, tight, extended on both ends & even image well but not really sound live which I would have thought would be the ultimate goal. High "Fidelity" means very faithful to the source. In some ways, these systems clearly are not. 

The systems that I find come the closest to the live music I've heard at The Narrows in Fall River, MA (Intimate venue - rock, blues, bluegrass, acoustic) )or the BSO at Symphony Hall in Boston involve good quality horn speakers & good tube amplification despite their potential shortcomings they might have. 

Any thoughts?

 

 

jonwolfpell

Showing 1 response by ghdprentice

ghdprentice
6,423 posts
 

Hi-fi systems are typically two speakers systems designed to create a small sweet spot. It does not fill a room with all locations with 3-D sound. If this were the goal then there would be dozens of speakers all over thae place and would require dozens of tracks. 
 

Assuming this is not the intent with your question. Then I might use the situation of a symphony hall… which I go to very often. My system does a pretty good job of it. It does not supply sound from the side or back. In the case of live albums… also very good… although because of poor sound engineering and too loud volumes at actual venues… often I prefer my system. 
 

Of course also as @fuzztone points out most albums are studio. 

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