Actually, I do get that “in the room” experience very often with my system, with vocals, with solo guitar, sometimes with piano. Always late at night. Never with larger ensembles, which wouldn’t fit in my listening room. But with any musicians who could, yes, they do sound like they’re right in front of me. . Good equipment and the right speakers placed correctly. Took me 20 years of churning and tweaking gear and a yacht’s worth of money to get there, but yes,
How much “suspension of disbelief do you need?”
We (or most of us) believe that it’s very difficult if not impossible to hear an exact representation of the the sound of a live performance on a recording.
The question is how much do you have to delude yourself into thinking it’s the real thing your listening to, to satisfy yourself.
To some it has to to be as close as possible. But others can make allowances for defects in the sound in order to enjoy the presentation.
‘How much do you need?