Musicians in your living room vs. you in the recording hall?

I wish every recording could provide the illusion that I was at the event.Recordings of small ensembles come very close sometimes.When I'm in the mood for loud rock music and I move into the next room, it actually sounds like the band is in there playing.Like I arrived at the concert late and am still in the lobby:)

prof:
"We developed directionality in our hearing for a reason, and it really works! (At least mine does, at the concert hall)."


rodman99999: 
I guess, back when it was a survival skill: some wouldn’t have.



Agreed.  Many audiophiles seem simply unprepared to survive a sudden attack from a symphony orchestra!  ;-)

I like jazz by small groups.  If the recording is supposed to be live in a venue, then I want to feel that -- it's fun being transported to a different place.  If the recording is a studio performance, then I prefer to imagine them in my listening room.  I like the latter more.  I often find audience sounds distract from my enjoyment of the music, like someone tinkling a coffee cup at the next table in Jazz at the Pawnshop.  I would rather not hear it.

Depends on the music. Acoustic duos or trios (violin-piano sonata or tenor sax-drums-bass) sound great in small spaces. I think that’s why a lot of people, as they get deeper into audiophile life, get increasingly interested in small-ensemble acoustic music w/vocals: that stuff operates on a scale that can, convincingly be in your room, IRL. Rock and Roll sounds best to me 700 to 1500 seat theaters. I’ve been at a million practices in bedrooms and hosted living room punk shows, of course they don’t sound great. Huge concerts, especially outdoor shows turn a real live band’s sound into what sounds like a CD playing out of a giant Boom-Box...not a fan.

I like to come home after driving around the block pretending to be looking for a parking spot, then pretend to stand in line outside my house...I come in and sit in the corner of my listening room and imagine there’s a loud couple talking behind me, and then put on some music I don’t care about so I can imagine a crappy opening act followed by what I planned to listen to in the first place...then I leave.