Tim, I don't accept the premise that anyone believes they are listening to live music when they listen to a stereo. So the entire discussion rings hollow for me.
Marty,
To me this isnt a live versus recorded thing to me. THis group gets lost in the words and its like sometimes cant see the forrest from the trees. My system at times takes me away, it transports me to another place in time. There are many recordings that can never be produced live and thier are live recordings that can be amazing in a system. I don't think that large scale classical music would ever do this to anyone, it certainly never does it for me either. The systems just dont do ( maybe cant do ever) a full scale symphony orchestra.
There are loads of popular music that these albums/discs were made to listening to at home. I can name some easily but thats not the point. The point is that under a set of fleeting conditions with a well set up system in a proper room when all the stars align it creates an altered state, a magical encounter, a more than the sum of its parts events. When can you have this? I have no idea there is no way to say when it will or ever happen in your place. I enjoy the experience but don't expect it.
These silly words are nothing, Having a semantical debate to me ruins it all.
Many people here are listening for differences and looking for whats wrong in what they hear.
ASk this group of different people to describe a 1970 Lafitte
A meal at the French Laundry
SEX
GOD
Politics haha
I think this would be a very interesting excercise
An artist will find things very different from an enginner or scientist.