Why I like my home system better than live music


Not sure which forum to place this, but since speakers are the most important in the audio chain besides the room, I'll start here. I know most audiophiles including me set live music as the reference to guage reproduced music in their homes. But I've come to the conclusion I enjoy my home system better than most live music. I can count on one hand musical venues that I think absolutely outclasses any system I've heard, but in most cases live music is just sounds bad. Is it just me who feels this way?
dracule1
Good thread and thought provoking on many levels. I enjoy both but can certainly see when it's not possible to hear an artist anymore (ie. deceased, etc) that it's not only better but the ONLY way to listen to them is at home and it may as well be a really good hifi! Besides, listening to some recordings is such a time machine that it can't be compared to going and hearing live music. I dig em both and
really put them side by side as equals in the thirst for the beautiful art of music. (but man oh man, hearing Sarah Vaughn belt it out in an outdoor covered venue is one I will NEVER forget!)
The whole point of this thread was to share and get feedback on why I or you may think reproduced music could sound better than live. But I've noticed some will blindly state live is better than reproduced hands down. I agree only on limited (dare I say rare) occasions this seems to be the case. When I listen to a recording at home, it's much more of an intimate experience as if the artist is performing only for me. Like others have stated, I can control the volume, lighting, temperature, etc of my environment. I'm not distracted by others coughing, yelling, BO, and farting(it has happened) next to me. I have to say MOST of the time I enjoy music on my system than going to a live event.
Have we all been brain washed into thinking live music is better than reproduced without any qualification? For me that qualification is significant. Unamplified live music should be the reference provided it is performed in a high quality acoustic venue. But enjoyment of music, at least for me, transcends whether the music is live or recorded, but many times in favor of reproduced. Some may chastise me for saying this, but I have a feeling many feel the same way but are afraid to say this publically or even admit it to themselves.
By "better" in the above post, I mean "more enjoyable" just in case someone tries to nit pick semantics.