I find attending a live orchestral performance a unique sound experience because of how much more involving it is for the listener. I can think of some composers, like Mahler or Shostakovich, whose compositions can be so complex that listening at home, even with a great system, the music can be difficult to follow. Somehow at a live performance you’re forced to listen more intently. I personally prefer the first few rows of the mezzanine at my hometown hall,partly because the sound is so round and full but also because I can see each musician. “Oh, so that’s what produces that special sound.”
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.