This is why I find the difference between a sound system costing $5000 and one costing $700,000 almost trivial. Both are too far from the live concert hall sound to make much difference. I have heard $50,000 speakers that did not sound as good to me as a pair of $1400 Magnepans demonstrated in the same room.
Sat front row at the symphony...
Yesterday, I got to sit in the front row to hear the Pittsburgh Symphony do Beethoven's Piano Concerto no 1 and the Shostakovich Symphony no 10. I know we all talk about audio gear here, but I have to tell you, sitting in the best seat in the house (Heinz Hall) was an amazing audio experience. I'm not sure the best audio gear in the world can quite match it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was mesmerized by the acoustics of the hall and the dynamics of one of the world's best orchestras.