Sitting at the end of the first row is better than sitting in the middle of the second row in the Friday prayer

If a person enters the mosque on Friday and finds that the first row has a gap at its end, is it better for him to sit in the second row near the imam, or to sit at the end of the first row?
If he can catch the entire sermon, such as if there is a loudspeaker in the mosque and nothing of the sermon is hidden from him, then the first row is undoubtedly better. However, if he cannot catch it, then sitting in front of the imam is better; this is because listening to the sermon is obligatory, while moving forward to the first row is a recommended practice (sunnah), and most mosques, praise be to Allah, now have loudspeakers.