Neutral or warm? Which do you prefer?

Yes, some live events are geared towards aging audiences with the treble tilted up, the same trick that some recording engineers also use. I have also been at poorly produced live shows, that doesn't mean adjusting the sound one way or the other is neutral.

My point is that neutral sounds neither rolled off or tilted up, the presence region is neither enhanced nor hidden. Neutral is not thin sounding, bright or weak. Electronic adjustments are made to accentuate detail that lead to this phenomena. Neutral is natural sounding.

It is easier to judge the sound of live performances without amplification or speakers. Something like an Orchestral performance. I have never heard live, unamplified music to sound weak or thin. As always, YMMV.

Agreed. Speaking of venues, I had the pleasure of being stuck at a traffic light and was fortunate to be under an overpass and some kind soul was playing the sax ever so lovingly. Not loud enough to reverberate like crazy but softly, allowing the sound to expand and trail off beautifully.

That was a nice, momentary, venue. Too bad it doesn't happen often enough where I live.

All the best,
Nonoise

I agree that some impromptu venues aren't bad. I live in New Orleans and a lot of what you hear being played in the narrow streets sounds pretty good. Of course, that could be the drinks talking, or listening.

One of the best recordings I have ever heard of a solo saxaphone was done on the middle landing of a ceramic tiled subway stairs entrance.

Neutral is not a subjective thing. It means low distortion.
This is objective.
Measure the signal. Is it the same going in and coming out?
This is the land of engineers, not artists.
Though marketing and the audio rags would have you think otherwise.
-Mike