What is the opposite of near field listening?

Subaruguru, you been going to way too many of those high priced concerts. Come to Nashville on some Sunday night, we will go to The Stagecoach Inn and hear 20 or 30 of the best"hillbilly classical", "bluejazz", and "bluegrass" music there is. All within 10 feet of you. And if you can spend all that time and money for your reference system, you need to buy a subscription to the local symphony and get better seats. just saw Mark O'Connor and YoYo Ma, bout 18 rows back, wasn't to bad. Live up north, go to the Berkshires Summer Series at Tanglewood, minimal costs and great music. I know what you mean by the expense, but there are ways around it. I will even go to a Catholic church during the holidays to hear the Messiah and I am Jewish, but it is the wonderful experience of live music that no system can or will replace.

Jvia...I know, I know. We're talking in circles, here.
As a member of Young Audiences in Boston I get to hang out with Yo-Yo when he plays for their annual fundraiser (last year with O'Connor, too). And there's nothing like being in the room with Yo-Yo.... And when I spent my youth as a travelling organist among gorgeous huge organs in northern RI french-Catholic parishes I was always in awe of the sound I could produce...especially with nazards, trombones and ridiculous 32' bourdons (16 Hz low C). Even killed a crow with one pedal tone...but that's another story.
I play my Steinway B almost daily, yet like the sound of most pianos in my room better than most live venues.
Could be that pianos are often simply set up poorly?
Sat amongst the Oriole College women's choir at Yorkshire Cathedral for evening vespers 3 summers ago. A pinnacle
of sonic immersion. The ONLYsurround sound I ever liked!!

My wife's Jewish, and she HATES that I drag her around at intermission, but I grew up too poor to pony up for the pricey seats. Old habits die hard.
A neighbor of mine (Marty Pearlman) runs the Boston Baroque.
Their rendering of the Messiah is an annual treat at Jordan.
C'mon up sometime. Ellen'll make amazing kugullah (sp?) afterwards....

Will someday take you up on your offer, be careful, wouldn't mined hanging out in Brookline a day or two., would you believe I also used to live in the Berkshires and in Taunton and Natick? I do miss the audio stores, and really a lot of the live music in the coffee houses and smaller venues. Great part of the world, were it not for MY screwing up a great relationship, I'd still be there. Thats another story as well.
Anyhow go down to the Backstage and listen to some acoustic music in that small venue, Saw Ginger Baker there, Incredible performance.