Sat front row at the symphony...

My understanding of symphony halls is that the conductor needs to visually communicate with the orchestra, and this is the primary reason why the podium is positioned where it is on the stage. Sound at the podium is secondary, although important, and possibly, the best sounding position. Halls are acoustically designed, for the audience’s enjoyment. This has been my understanding throughout all my years in the music business, and I am not to disagree with anyone. All interesting and welcoming comments above. Enjoy......My best, MrD.

Dynamics, both micro and macro, are truly an important and major characteristic of music reproduction, live, and through an audio rig. I am not speaking of rock concert loud ( which can be distorted to the ears ).......As the op says, to be able to go from soft and quiet, to loud, shows more of the passion of the work, by the composer, conveyed through the conductor and the orchestra. Without it, realism is lost.....This has been my continued experience for over 50 years, and without deviating from the purpose of this thread, my tweaked and modified Lascalas, allows these characteristics to shine through, with any and all amplifiers. Captivating, for sure...and with all types of music. It is wonderful that the op experienced this, and a welcome to the Audiogon community, to share in this excitement. Bravo ! I am yet to hear an audio system, that captures what the op ( as well as myself and others ) has experienced, as the recordings themselves are a major limiting factor. Enjoy, and my best....always, MrD.

@mikeydee , " He used dynamics in his band ". AB & the JMs must have been a wonderful experience as well. Every live, unamplified performance of any kind of music I experienced, showed an amazing amount of dynamics, which has not been duplicated, ime, ever, with an audio rig. Horns come closest to portraying dynamics, again, ime, but still not the same, as the real thing. My best always, MrD.

If we go back to the start of the thread and read the original post by mikeydee, I believe the statement was all about the enjoyment, and the " impact " the experience made to him. We come to the argument that the best seat in the house is at the podium. I am not up at the podium. I am in the audience....and if I happen to not be in the best seat in the house, it would still be an amazing experience, acoustically. However, I am there to experience the " performance ", and relating this to home audio, many have lost this aspect of why we listen in the 1st place. Just a repeated statement ( ad nauseam ) I make many times here on the "Gon. My best, and Enjoy ! MrD.

@viber6 , my friend.....as always, your personal listening experiences are yours, and that is all....yours. Your system, as good as you feel it is, would not satisfy me, the way my system satisfies me, as I look for and appreciate other important characteristics than you. I accept that we are " different ", and I understand you play violin. This is all well and good, but you continue to feel, your perspective of the " listening thing ", is the correct thing. The fact that you are admitting to everyone here, that you would rather listen to your system, than to be in an audience of a fine hall, listening to a fine performance, tells me what I have stated many times before about you on another thread ( which is no longer here ). You have allowed your " audiophile life ", to put more emphasis on the " sound of instruments ", than the performance characteristics of the " playing of the instruments ", and the many musicians I personally know, listen the way I do, and enjoy similar things as I do. I am not suggesting right or wrong here, but as you try to defend yourself, as being " right ", as being a " more experienced listener ", has not changed since we have been communicating. Your perspectives and your experiences, are just that....yours. I respect you...you know that. And I accept all this from you. But what is good for you, is exactly that..... good for you. And me ? I always state what is good for me, and understand the " me ". Music listening, whether live, or through our systems, reaches us all in different ways. I am happy to say, I know what I like, as you know what you like. Some have not reached that plateau, and are still trying to figure that out. As always, I wish you my best. Your comrade in arms....MrD.

@frogman ....+1..... the " playing " of the instruments, through the conductor's direction, is why I attend performances. I listen for the playing, through my rig, as well. My best. MrD