Sounds better at home


Does anyone else think that mic/pa setups at live events are crappy? We went to see Gary Burton at a well respected jazz theatre here in Pittsburgh and the sound quality - as usual - was disapointing. This hall has two large p/a speakers hanging high on the wall and they almost always eliminate any sense of real acoustics in the hall, even when they're being used sparingly. I've even seen artists - most recently Jimmy Heath - turn the system off after a number or two. Looking for a good acoustic experience, the whole thing is frustrating and in general my system at home sounds better.
grimace
Another jazz club not to be missed, alwyas with great, natural sound is Dizzy's CokeCola club in New York City.
This confirms my growing suspicion that trying to emulate a 'live performance' with home audio is a pointless effort. If that were the case, then most of should be satisfied with mediocre systems.

It seems the point should be refining your system until it brings you the satisfaction and involvement that good music - live or reproduced - brings.
My expectations are usually so low that I've recently tended to end up pleasantly surprised by the sound quality of live shows. I had refused to see an arena show for almost 2 decades (for this very reason) 'til I went to the recent Fleetwood Mac show @ Staples Center and I couldn't believe how good the sound was.

But, but, but...

My standard is never my home system. A recording studio is a controlled environment and it shouldn't be a surprise that a good system can reproduce the resultant high quality program material. Even live recordings are usually captured in a fashion that removes most of the environment from the equation. I would never expect to get the same sound quality at a live venue.

So, I agree with you, but I'd advise you to change your focus. The magic of live music is still IMHO hard to beat.

Marty