[Mag]

I am of the belief that Audio can mimic a Live event. IMO I have achieved live like sound in my room, but can it be achieved on a much larger scale? I think the answer is Yes, just that the cost to do so would be very expensive.

There was a time where my home audio wasn't in the ballpark compared to Live. Many thousands of dollars later I believe that I am there.

But to replicate the Live like sound in a really big venue like our casino floor at work. That would require multi-channel with many speakers well placed along with huge or many amps.

So IMO it is doable, just requires lots of money, to do it right.

[Digi-G]

Loudspeakers definitely CAN sound live.

I don't think that mine do necessarily, set up in my family room, that has carpet and heavy drapes.

However, I went into my local hifi store a few years ago (Audio Etc. near Dayton, OH), and the first thing I heard as I entered sounded like a band setting up near the back of the store.  Cool, I thought, I'm definitely going to check this out and off I went.  I was greeting by an empty room (no people in it) with a live SACD playing over McIntosh amps and floor standers taller than the ceiling in my living room.  Pretty sure the speakers were AR's.

I was disappointed there wasn't a live band but I was delighted that I had been fooled.  I stood in that "empty" room, by myself, with a goofy smile on my face.  Eventually a sales person wandered into the room and I asked how much ($) the system was that was playing.  He looked at the rack and the speakers and said "Mmmm, around $80,000".  I wasn't surprised - my guess would have been a little higher.

Since that day I've asked myself (more than once), exactly what was it that made it sound like a live band?  I'm still not sure I know the answer, at least not with 100% certainty, but I keep thinking the cymbals were part of it.  I could hear those damn things ALL the way through the store.  But they didn't seem overbearing when I walked into the room with the music.  It truly sounded like the drums were in the room, though, so they were loud, for sure.  And I realized that I couldn't hear other things through the store - like vocals and guitar.  I may have heard some bass guitar and/or bass drums, but wasn't able to distinguish it until I was closer to the room.

I sure don't know the models of the amps or speakers, but suffice to say those speakers had lots of drivers, including multiple tweeters.  And yes, the system sounded fantastic once in the room, though I had to adjust the volume down a little.

Oh, the music?  I wasn't familiar with it - a black female vocalist doing jazz.  I did look at the SACD cover at the time but don't recall now any of the artists.  It's mostly the impression that has stuck with me.

[Mag]

Thank You for your reply.

My reference for sounding Live like is Blue Rodeo- 5 Days in May. I was at the concert in I think was 2005 at the local Auditorium. The sound was balanced, loud and crystal clear. I've been to or heard other live concerts and it doesn't always sound balanced or clear. Other great sounding concerts I've been to was Rush at our old barn (1977-78), which is no longer there, and Streetheart (1977) at our auditorium.

At our Casino I've heard a band doing their soundcheck and I thought my stereo was better sounding. All things being equal it is the quality of the source and recording that makes Live like possible. And also how the sound interacts within a room.

[glynnw]

This is simply my experience thru my ears- I have no doubt others have experienced different.  I have never heard a system sound like live music when subjected to very intense listening in the sweet spot.  Can sound great, but not live.  But when in a non-optimum situation, I have occasionally though recorded music was live.  Once in a large lobby at CES a pair of large Duntechs playing a master tape fooled me into thinking at first it was a live trumpet. At the other end of experience, a few months back while visiting my mother in a nursing home (she recently passed 100) I thought I heard a recording down the hall and it was live. But no matter what I do, my system has never sounded live. Rats!

[Digi-G]

Even though I had a positive experience when hearing a system that sounded live...

I'm not sure that's what my goal is with my hi-fi system.  Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of live albums.  I much more enjoy studio albums and those albums, in general, are a different animal than a live album.

Most live concerts I've attended haven't sounded fantastic.  They sound okay, but it's acceptable because it's live.  That's been my experience, anyway.

I actually have attended a couple of shows, at the same venue, that sounded fantastic.  I attribute that to two things.  The venue itself - it was indoor and I think designed correctly.  Secondly, the style of music.  Mostly acoustic without lots of electric guitar and keyboards.  (Gordon Lightfoot and Peter, Paul & Mary).

[charmerci]

Absolutely. Every time I listened to a Memorex cassette tape, I thought it was live!

[PA]

Check these "One Mic" recordings many of them recorded live. These are as close to the real thing one can get, in my opinion.
Native DSD has bundle offer at moment.https://www.nativedsd.com/catalogue/albums/one-microphone-recordings-bundle/
or one can buy separate downloads at https://www.soundliaison.com/

These guys and this recording just rocks. Pace, rhythm, tone and soundstage are just off the charts.
The precise placement of all four of the musicians perfectly matches the photos of the sessions.
The balance of all four instruments is darn near perfect. As you can no doubt tell, I am a huge fan of this recording.
It is one of the best in terms of recording quality I have ever heard. Of course, and as always,
your view of the actual music content may vary quite considerably from mine.
Nonetheless, I think we would all agree that this recording sounds sensational....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih98W5Bn_uY&feature=emb_logo&loop=0

Gomes’ stylistic technique extends past the conventions of behind-the-beat phrasing. Listen to how she teases out the syllables, as if the lyrics themselves were musical notes, not just words on a page. On "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", she prolongs the vowel sounds through several shades of inflection. With her flawless pitch, the effect is entrancing. You might hear echoes of Billie Holliday, but her vocal sound has developed well beyond imitation to distinctive individuality.

The ensemble Carmen Gomes, Inc. is more than a singer and a backing group. Bassist Peter Bjørnild, whose session notes are posted on the Sound Liaison website, produced the record and arranged the songs in collaboration with Gomes, guitarist Folker Tettero and drummer Bert Kamsteeg. Tettero plays an archtop semi-hollow body guitar that has a warm timbre; his stylistic ears are well-tuned to blues idiom, especially the minor-key blues of the mid-1960s. Kamsteeg uses brushes throughout, and keeps superb time without ever overpowering the singer or other players. In bassist Peter Bjørnild, Gomes has found the deep instrumental 'voice' that complements her vocals, the glove that perfectly fits the hand. Their musical partnership is longstanding, and the trust that only years can bring is clearly in evidence.

The decision to record with a single-point stereo microphone came about after the group had already finished a recording session done with conventional multi-mic technique. The late delivery of a Josephson C700S stereo microphone prompted a test recording of a single tune; an afterwards, engineer and label co-owner Frans Rond was so convinced that the sound qualities of that track should be heard on a full recording, he reconvened two more sessions that consisted of the group's working repertoire, done almost entirely in single takes. Those sessions were recorded at MCO Studio 2, Hilversum, The Netherlands, on 26 October and 15 December 2018, in DXD 352.8 kHz. As Bjørnild explains: "With only one mic… mixing was no longer possible. We would have to make the complete sound stage right there by carefully moving each instrument closer or further away, as well as left and right, in relationship to the microphone."

With an engineer of the capabilities of Frans Rond, mixing is no longer needed. The careful placement of the musicians and the control of group balance makes "Don't You Cry" one of the best-sounding "live in the room" audiophile recordings I've heard.
Not surprisingly, site listeners awarded "Don't You Cry" NativeDSD Vocal Album of the Year for 2019. I eagerly await the next release from Carmen Gomes Inc.
Mark Werlin

Dynamics, tone, timbre and soundstage are all superb. The piano in particular is a highlight for me. This is some of the best recorded piano I have ever heard, capturing to tone of the instrument and the natural decay of the notes. Instrument placement in the sound field is spot on. This is a superb recording all around and is one that I can recommend for all jazz fans. Superb musicianship and just fantastic sound.