I just wanted to add to this thread something I witnessed tonight. Just a few minutes ago in fact...
I was listening to The Rolling Stones - Bridges to Babylon CD. I hope some of you guys are familiar with this disc so you can listen for it yourself.
Anyway, on the last track "How Can I Stop", the last 60 seconds or so is just a bunch of random drums, guitar, piano, etc, etc beats and notes going all at once, with this single clarinet solo in the middle of it all. Out of all of the controlled chaos, this single clarinet comes through crystal clear, somewhat in front and just right of center. With all that's going on, you can clearly hear the woodsy texture and tone to the instrument like it's right in the room with you.
The only other time I heard anything close to this was with my old Maggies, and they didn't even present it like this! And the NHT's?... Forget about it.