I go to live concerts all the time. I think it's all a different sort of listening experience. Vinyl. Digital. Cans. Big speakers. A big concert hall, club, small chamber hall. Each one has its own merit. You cannot go to a hall and hear Leonard Bernstein, but you can listen to him on your system. The atmosphere of the live venue is nearly impossible to recreate. But, then there are the recordings that were made to be recordings. I head Karajan's final concerts with the Berlin Phil in Carnegie Hall. I have never quite heard an orchestra sound like a small chamber group, with every single player seemingly connected to one another. So, true, that will have to live in my memory, but I do love being able to listen to Karajan on my big rig...
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.