Anyone else prefer listening to their system more than a concert?

tomcarr OP

That's a bummer. I'm the same. Surprised at some of the best bands live recordings are so inferior 

In small or medium venues I am all about live concerts & music. A good band of musicians brings good energy & vibes. I just went out last weekend & everyone was cool to each other & feeling the music. Everyone seemed to leave with smiles. 

Plus to me there is just something to watching a good musician play his instrument. I can get mesmerized by watching drummers getting lost in the music while pounding away. 

The cons of live music is the actual going out. The drive, especially home, the parking, If it's a new venue I have to be prepared for if the PA System is distorted or with ear splitting higher frequencies. But if it's awful in that regard I won't torture myself..I will leave. So while I don't have all the conveniences of listening at home I find live music to be an experience I can't get at home. Even though it might sound better, sometimes, at home. 

As just one example of my preference for concerts, Johnny Cash sounds excellent when streamed to my home audio system but, I will never forget seeing him, June Carter, the Tennessee Three and Carl Perkins live in concert in 1975, even though that was a long time ago.  It was a remarkable evening, unreplaceable by listening to a home audio system.

Of course, the real answer is that I like hearing music both in concert and from my home system, and I don't view those options as an either/or proposition.

Went Saturday night to see the Allman Betts Family Revival at the Beacon Theater in NYC and the sound sitting in the back of the orchestra was beyond my expectations. I’m no spring chicken but they did all Allman Brothers songs with many guest appearances to boot! 🥾 Think twice before you trash live music! Their is nothing like live music 🎶 

I have tried to catch shows at the SPHERE in Vegas and it has been awesome everytime. I also watch lots of shows locally.

I have a rig in my cabin that i can roll outside and have outdoor 'concerts' ( sits on some acreage, no issues with neighbors/cops). One of the dudes who shows up there to party at times is also my physician, go figure.

The primary culprit for hearing damage is headphones......followed by small spaces/nearfield rigs. 

Large open venues at immersive spl levels causing hearing damage  is mostly a imagined psychological thing by older audiophiles.