Sat front row at the symphony...

Petaluman,

You said, "It's not about the sound."  Half true.  The live experience combines sound and visuals.  But the next time you attend a live concert, close your eyes and listen honestly to the sound.  The sound is the main subject of this discussion thread.  Many people here have addressed the comparison between the live concert sound and the home audio sound.  Although live unamplified sound is more natural than that of any audio system, at a location far away from the performers  so much detail is lost compared to any decent audio system playing a relatively unprocessed recording.  As a performing violinist, I listen carefully to my colleagues performing, and as a listener I seek to hear as much detail as possible to appreciate the music. To appreciate full details and nuances, no live location far away can compete with a good audio system.  But front row center always beats any audio system for detail and naturalness.

At a recent concert I heard the Prelude to Act 1 of Lohengrin by Wagner.  From front row center, the sound of the front stage string section was superb.  But the cymbal crash from the back of the stage was AWFUL--muddy from excessive distance and too much reverberation.  It sounded like the tweeter was blown on a bad speaker.  Even an intact low-fi audio system is better for clarity than that mess.

When I go to Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center in Philadephia and sit in my favorite seat to listen to the Philadelphia Orchestra, I realize that 137 years after the original Edison phonograph audio technology still hasn’t quite caught up with unamplified live music in a good acoustic venue. To be sure, my state-of-the-art stereo system renders a startlingly faithful imitation of a grand piano, a string quartet, or a jazz trio, but a symphony orchestra or a large chorus? Close but no cigar. - Peter Aczel

The front row isn’t the best seat in the house.  The musicians are projecting their sound out, and I prefer at least 10 rows back if I am on the main floor.  Normally we sit in the first balcony, which most people consider to be the best seats in the house

Many years before sound recordings, they got the idea of putting the woodwinds, brass and percussion in the back, because those instruments are naturally louder than the strings.  If they put them in the front, they would drown out the strings so badly, that you would not be able to hear them.

My best experience listening to a symphony orchestra was up near the front. I totally loved it. I've had some other experiences in concert halls where I'd have been happier listening to a record at home.