Why I like my home system better than live music

Everybody,
Okay, I know I'm rather late to this party, but I agree with Elizabeth and some others of you about not wanting to subject myself to painful SPL's at live rock concerts. I've taken to attending rock and pop concerts toting these Day-Glo orange, foam rubber ear inserts, which will certainly protect my hearing somewhat but which also screw up the sound, at which point, why bother? But I absolutely hate waking up in the middle of the night after a concert with my ears humming and buzzing. Hey, I'm in my early 50s, and I'm just paranoid about screwing up my hearing and accelerating the inveitable loss of sensitivity to high frequencies.
The last concert I attended where the volume was literally painful was Steely Dan in Dallas during the "Two Against Nature" Tour. The music was wonderful, but in my humble opinion, there is NO BLOODY REASON that the music has to be so freaking loud... or maybe I've just become an old fart... ;-)
The most recent pop concert I attended was James Taylor at Bass Concert Hall here in Austin. The sound was okay, but again, why so loud? In fact, if what I'm basically hearing is 2-channel amplified sound, other than the spontaneity of the musicians and the interaction with the audience -- which does have considerable value, I'll admit -- how much different is the experience than listening to my stereo -- except that, in the latter instance, the sound quality is probably actually better? By the way, hearing poorly amplified singers at Broadway musicals also ticks me off...
[END CURMUDGEON MODE]

The two speakers that got cymbals right were Revel Ultima2 (Salon or Studio, it makes no difference for this test) and B&W 80xD (I've listened to the 800D & the 802D; they were equal in this regard). I bought the Revels.

A stick hitting a cymbal is a sound that can be easily recognized as right or wrong, because it's a purely mechanical sound, I think, but the sound produced is actually so complex. And it must often be loud. Done just right your reaction is: OMG, that sounds real. Some speakers I've heard that can't get a cymbal just right:

Wilson Sasha & the Maxx2.
Sound Labs. (This was the test that caused me not to buy a pair.)
Thiel 3.7
Avantgarde whatevers.
KEF 207/2
Legacys (including the latest Whispers.)
Linkwitz Orion. (Though these are truly excellent in many other ways. Actually, cymbals are one of the few sounds that ruin the "live" illusion with these speakers.)
I can't think of others off the top of my head.

I'm not saying cymbals are the ultimate speaker test, but they appear to be a test for accuracy that easily produces a "right" and "wrong", in a way other difficult to reproduce sounds don't seem to.

IRv,

How do you know not getting the cymbals right was the speakers fault?

Is it possible it could have been the rest of the system ie the amp, source or other component (even ICs) or at least that these factors contributed?

Mapman, I was always listening to high quality solid state electronics, and I'm not one to believe that there's a significant difference between electronics at that quality level. I know that might be heresy here, but I'm pretty sure the differences I was hearing were in the speakers. Also, I never heard cymbals sound real with my old Legacy Focus, but with the same electronics (and cables) otherwise I heard the shock and awe effect on the same recordings with the Revels.

When Miles, and Coltrane, are visible playing, along

with my stuff, then I would like my home set-up more.

Watching Anthony Jackson give the ContraBass a work-out.

Bireli Lagrene, playing the guitar...

Dennis Chambers, giving Drumming 101.

Watching the expressions of these artists, is what I enjoy.

Pat Metheny, Carlos Santana, both put on tremendous

demonstrations, of their amazing talents.

At the Greek down in L.A., I would stop at "Tommys" and

score a famous chili-cheese, hotdog, and hamburger, and

head to the Greek. Those were some great times.

Now I put on a DVD of them playing instead.

All that is missing is "Tommys".

Concerts By The Sea, The Baked Potato, Catalina, were a few

places years ago, that provided great music, without the

mobs.

Phoenix and Tempe, used to have Jazz at a couple spots,

again, not to many folks, like "Red River" KYOT, the Local

Jazz station put on concerts, years back also.

People that listen to Jazz, LISTEN, they are very

friendly, especially the Musicians.

Indoors, or out, generally Jazz listeners, are pretty

easy going.

I Love Music!