What I mean is the the clarity of sound has become so good it is actually "unnatural".
I have been along with the recording engineers for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra many times. You hear it live and it seems nice. You take it back to the recording studio and play it back in the padded room and WOW! Crystal clear. So clear that I have to admit that it is probably "unreal." Unreal in the sense that you are extremely unlikely to be in a good enough hall, in the precise position, and under the right conditions to get that clarity--it might even be impossible.
Now, solo recitals are a little different story. In this case, I will agree pretty much with you. But this still depends on the size of the room, it's acoustic characteristics, and your closeness to the performer (and other tonal factors in the case of voices and cellos). But for the overall clarity of sound, live recorders are often able to block out nasty room reflections by using good microphones and placement. Something live listeners cannot do--even in the best performance locations.
That is what I mean. This is similar to photography. You can make attractive people "more attractive" than they actually are (even without post processing). Not that they look more real.
I used to think that live performance is what I wanted, but I was surprised to find how muddy live performances often are. I want crystal clear sound with excellent imaging. Live music provides the imaging, but often does not provide that crystal clear sound (close your eyes sometime in a live orchestra performance and even the imaging isn't as good as you might think it is).
How often can you hear a finger placed down on a violin string when the soloist is playing with an orchestra. If its dead quiet, no orchestra, and you are in a good hall sometimes. In a good recording, every time. I am addicted to that clarity. Hence my interest in planars, ribbons, ESL's.
There's my expl. We can take it elsewhere if you would like to continue. I mean that in a nice way.
