Sat front row at the symphony...

You are not wrong. The best home set up, at any price, cannot even come close to a live SO. Don't shoot your audio system. It just ain't going to happen. At its best it just gives you a faint idea of what the music is all about. My last live event was a Mahler 5 performance, row 8 close to center. I took a gal unexposed to Mahler - she was 'blown away' and exhausted! I should have prepped her better, but I just assumed.....! :-)  

Front row at our hall is terrible compared to further back. Indeed, tix are cheaper up front.

Hey, there's a parade.  Let's rain on it. 😒

I've sat in every possible spot for various classical concerts over the decades and, yeah, I got to say that being in the front few rows in the center two-thirds of a hall is just wonderful. To heck with missing the proper synthesis/amalgamation of tone. You feel like a part of the orchestra. Inside the machine. You feel the individual efforts. You both forgive and appreciate the minor glitches. The occasional squeak of a chair. The cough. The turning of the pages. All in Super Technorama One Zillion. True, all told the sound is better several rows back. But I never turn down a chance at being at Ground Zero. It's even fun being being on the far left or right.