Musicians in your living room vs. you in the recording hall?

@viridian - Yes; imaging and sound stage are different, but- related. I don’t believe anyone, to be trying to say that kind of image specificity, is available in every instance/venue. Yet- when in any GOOD halls(not to mention, GOOD SEATING), I’ve never had a problem, locating Woodwinds, Strings, Tympani, etc, within the venue/acoustic. Nor(especially), had a problem locating a soloist, by ear, within that space. Yet- I have no doubt, the vast majority seated around me, weren’t trying(paying the least attention to such things), but- simply enjoying the music. We all heard/enjoyed the same music. Some listened differently.

It's also worthy of note; every great venue, in history, was designed/constructed with reverberation/Sabine effects/ambiance in mind, even before the builders knew what to call it.  Whether good or bad, every room/venue has a sound.    One will hear reverberation outdoors, as well, in areas with trees, buildings, mountains or cliffs, nearby(and- given a loud enough source).   If one wants to accurately recreate an event: ambient sound recovery = realism(and, as mentioned, "ESSENTIAL", regarding that goal).    Again- tastes may vary(facts don't).        

@prof1- Back when directionality in our hearing was a survival skill, there were no symphony orchestras. Had there been, chances are: they wouldn’t have eaten too many audiophiles then, either. Then again, if an orchestra’s hitting one, with fff or ffff(ie: Firebird Finale), that’s also an, "attack"(Semantic Gymastics, just for fun). Happy(and safe) listening! ;-)

@tatyana69- Thank you, for so concise an explanation, of sound stage/sound space. ie: "Backing vocals or whatever coming from a DIFFERENT PLACE IN THE ROOM is ESSENTIAL to add to the DIMENSIONS of the music." That’s exactly what most of us desire("want to extract") from our music. As mentioned, so many times: providing that’s what’s been recorded/intended.

shadorne  &  mijostyn : +1, each

"We developed directionality in our hearing for a reason, and it really works! (At least mine does, at the concert hall)." I guess, back when it was a survival skill: some wouldn’t have.

The recordings I’ve personally done, take me back to the venues, in which they were made. That’s always been my goal, in the home. Long as my system accomplishes that, I know I’m recreating whatever ambient info is contained in my other media, as well. Of course; then there are studio recordings, with electronic effects, manipulated by someone moving knobs/faders, to create the illusion of a space and sounds expanding/decaying into it. If my system does the first correctly, I know I’ll experience, whatever that guy intended(and laid down). That’s my personal preference/experience, regarding the issue. Obviously; there are other tastes. Can’t wait to hear from those that have never heard, or don’t know how to listen for a, "sound stage" or, "sound field"(the ambiance/Sabine signature of a venue), and how live instruments sound in one. You know: the, "If-I-can’t-hear-it-it-doesn’t-exist" and/or the, "if-my-system-can’t-do-it-it’s-some-kind-of-distortion" contingent.