Who would ever write off Detroit? One of the great orchestras out there. I've heard them live in their own hall and in my opinion it is the best orchestra hall in the entire country. Far better than the halls for Chicago, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco. It's also better than many European halls. Only Boston, Cleveland, and Kansas City play in halls as good. The sound wraps around you. The bass is solid and deep. They could stand to have new seats, but that's a minor quibble. It's not in such a nice part of Detroit.
Slatkin's Mahler creds have been proven many times. Forty years after recording the 2nd on Telarc, it still stands out as a thrillingly played and recorded reading. His 1st is excellent, too. Detroit's main problem is that because of the collapse of the classical recording industry in the US, we don't hear them that often any more. When Jarvi was there, they at least made some superb recordings for Chandos. The players in the orchestra are superb, dedicated, and every bit as good as players anywhere. Any American city would be blessed to have such a magnificent orchestra.