How to get the impact of a live concert?

The impact of a live performance isn't necessarily measured in volume alone... Very high sensitive speakers and I should have added with alot of cone mass combined with a big quality dynamic amplifier will give move more air and give you dynamics that you typically just can't experience in your everyday system. Of course the speakers need to be well designed, but alot of cone area that is well designed with real sensitivity combined with big power, then you will give stunning realism even when not played at 120 db. It doesn't have to be loud to show the speed and dynamics of a system like this. Its not necessarily the screaming volume, but instead it the feel and impact that helps put you there.

07-11-12: Swampwalker
...recorded music never sounds like live music. It's a simulation of live music.

Swampwalker definitely hits the nail right on the head although most issues brought up here are quite valid. The process of getting live music onto recording and the capturing of sound through the microphone. Try imagining the big wall of sound converging to the head of the microphone before being converted to electrical signal and amplified/reproduced through loudspeakers. The sound that we get at the end of loudspeakers is a simulation of live music, in other words an illusion that the musicians performing in live shows or recording studios are brought into our rooms before us.

We can replicate or improve the illusion or feel of a live concert in our homes by proper setting up of the system and room treatments(apart from selection of loudspeakers) but we can only go so far with the equipment/technology that we have. I would look at dynamic speakers and the room if one wants to get a more live concert feel in the room.

Ok, never mind then.

I'm a little confused Ecruz maybe you can set me straight are you asking us how to feel the impact of a live concert or are you wanting an exact duplication of the sound? I believe we can easily feel the power of the music but to duplicate the sound I'm not so sure.

Klipschorn: 105 dB at 1 watt input. Max 125 dB, which is about 5dB beyond threshold of pain, and requires about 125 wpc to reach it.

I had a pair of Altec 9845A studio monitors. About 101 dB on 1 watt input. I could make a big band record sound live in my dorm room with a 44 wpc *compact* (receiver w/turntable mounted on top). People were running around the dorm looking for the live band.