The best reference is live music

I had  7th row center seats to the Oregon Symphony for a decade. 7th row is known as the audiophile seats because of the ratio of reflected to direct sound. In these seats the sound hole of the solo violinist is pointed directly at the seat as is the reflection surface of the piano. Instruments are distinct if played separately and blended when played. When the symphony is recorded, the primary microphones are nearly directly above these seats.

If you listen to recordings of the same concert you attended, you can easily hear the difference that the people in front of you make as opposed to being "hung in the air" above the seats.

This is an excellent way to work towards a natural musical sounding system That correctly portrays sound.

Since my time at the symphony they installed a multimillion dollar DSP sound system to make the symphony sound better. My system at home now sounds far better and more natural and more musical than attending one live. Which is way I stopped attending.  Sometimes technology is not better. I spent my career choosing appropriate technology for specific purposes, which sometimes means not to because it is too soon. 

So it goes. 

In the Eagles DVD concert "Hell Freezes Over", Joe Walsh and Don Felder (guitars) stood side by side making some inspiring music. It is easy to know which one is playing due to the 5.1 format and the visual clues on the screen. On the CD of the same concert however, the recording engineer made the decision to put them on opposite side of the podium. The effect was quite pleasing and unmistakably the right thing to do, for obvious reason.

I am saying this to say that: fidelity is not the be all and end all when it comes to music reproduction. We are not only dealing with science, but we are also dealing with art. While science is immutable, art is very personal. Add to that the fact that we don't necessarily hear the same thing and you would realize that whether your system does a good job at reproducing live events, while an interesting question, is rarely what keeps us up at night. Maybe we should try to answer this question: Is your system pleasing to you? I think the answer to that question will indicate whether we are still tweaking, upgrading or staying put and enjoying the music.

For me personally, I feel good that my system can recreate live performance but to be honest, I usually listen to music at a much lower volume than live music and usually sit in a more comfortable setting than a stadium or concert hall venue. At the end of the day, I couldn’t careless how the music sounds in real life, I listen to it only if it pleases my ears. These are my 2 cents and certainly doesn’t reflect how other music lovers feel.

I just want the songs I loved growing up to sound great on my system. Studio recordings almost always sound better than live music 

@spenav + 1

As a performing violinist, I totally agree with russbutton.  Thanks for posting Voices of Music.  Look at Vivaldi RV 278.  The video shifts from about the 3rd row to extremely close when you see the intricate work of the solo violinist.  The sound is like the 3rd row.  In a reverberant space like that, to me even this is TOO DISTANT.  Too much reverberation which destroys the clarity when the small ensemble is playing together.  When the solo violin is playing alone, the clarity is good.  But put a medium size orchestra of 30 on that stage, and the clarity would be awful.  It would be a muddy mess.  Forget about a larger orchestra in a typical larger hall, sitting further away than the 5th row.  Compared to my Audiostatic 240 electrostatic speakers with great class D SS amps, I have the experience to know that I get better clarity at home.  I enjoy only the 1st row center in a hall, just considering sonics.  Mikelavigne is correct on that point.  Row M is totally bad.

Admittedly, I have the privilege of playing in groups where I am close to my fellow musicians.  That is an unparalleled experience where I hear maximum detail and appreciate the tonal sensitivity of instrumentalists and solo singers alike.  One group is in a small church.  The chorus is stands in the back of the orchestra about 25 feet from me in the front of the orchestra.  The chorus is severely muffled and muddy compared to musicians close to me.  Another video of Voices of Music has a solo soprano singer.  There is way too much reverberation which buries her tonal sensitivity.  I am shocked and delighted by the opportunity I have to hear singers 5 feet away from me who demonstrate much greater clarity in the minimally reverberant 5 feet of distance between us.