Get out and listen!

Could not agree with you more.  We go to a Christmas show every year that's held in a church - a symphony playing Christmas tunes.  It takes me about 2 weeks to even want to turn on my system because my ears/brain is still satisfied from that performance. 

Totally agree. And Row L center is a great spot in most halls I've been in. Far enough back for the music to blend (and avoid craning your neck) and still with great sight lines and dynamics.

@musicfan2349 

Anyway, the reason for my post is simply to encourage audiophile to get out and listen to the real thing.

Great advice.

I remember years ago hearing a live piano recital and then it's playback on a SD card of all things.

The playback was very close to the original  but what really bothered me was that neither of them sounded the way I wanted them to.

I later realised that when you've been listening to audio systems for years and years you become familiar by and large with how most of them sound.

You also become used used to the effect of the compression used in most recordings, most broadcasts, most television and most cinema soundtracks.

As a consequence it's easy to forget what real music and real voices sound like.

It's often not like what you were expecting. So, unless you keep yourself acquainted with live music you could easily end up with a skewed reference when judging playback systems.

What troubles me is this profligate use of compression everywhere. It seems to be readily accepted that we don't want our music or speech reproduced realistically.

All those people we see on TV and often hear on the radio rarely if ever sound like that in real life.

Yet no one ever seems to mind.

Good seats in many places (like Chicago Symphony) are reserved for subscription buyers only.  In my suburban Chicago village we had nice auditorium (500 people) and great concerts.  Last one was John Mayall with fantastic band, but the sound was way off.  At one point John Mayall stopped the concert and complained to audio booth.  It was much better after that, but that is the reality of such small venues and traveling bands.  At the Frank Zappa concert in Chicago Bismarck Theatre  (1984) I got seat so bad (way to the side) that I couldn't see or hear well.  Nothing will replace live performance experience* but for the sound I stay at home.

* I was able to get into Biddy Mulligans bar (Sheridan Rd. Chicago) for $5 cover charge in 80s.  Main performer was John Lee Hooker with Coast to Coast Blues Band while his invited guests who performed as well were Chuck Berry and Willie Dixon.  All three for $5 from 10' distance - cannot beat that.