I think it depends on a number of factors such as the one giving the lecture, the material covered by the lecture, the environment in which the lecture is given, and the one receiving the lecture.
I've had classes in the past that...well...the room was just not that comfortable to listen to a lecture (it was a 3hr class in a slightly overcrowded/warm room in the evening and it was a boring biology class; insta-sleep time).
I've also had classes where the lecturers (this particular class had 3 different professors; it was an American Studies/history class) all give lectures which were material to the class and were on the exams.
Oddly, I found the lectures interesting and was able to absorb the information better than my other classmates who took notes (I did not take notes and according to the professors, the first ever to do so and get a decent grade).
Then I've had classes where the hands-on part was more interesting such as physics with lasers (sadly, there were no sharks).
In essence, a YMMV situation.