I always get a chuckle out of audiophiles who think that their systems actually sounds better than real live music. You must not leave your homes and listen to live music very often. Elizabeth makes valid points about smoke, drunks etc, but when it comes to the music itself you simply cannot reproduce live music. I know a person who has invested a quarter million dollars in his audio systems (and even more on a custom room), and his system (one of the top systems in the nation) still doesn't sound like real live music. I go out on a weekly basis and listen to live jazz and/or classical music and there's simply nothing like it. I have a nice stereo system however I would never try and fool myself into thinking that it can reproduce (or replace) live music.
Why I like my home system better than live music
Not sure which forum to place this, but since speakers are the most important in the audio chain besides the room, I'll start here. I know most audiophiles including me set live music as the reference to guage reproduced music in their homes. But I've come to the conclusion I enjoy my home system better than most live music. I can count on one hand musical venues that I think absolutely outclasses any system I've heard, but in most cases live music is just sounds bad. Is it just me who feels this way?