This might be a bit tangential, so apologies in advance. Music can be an emotional or energetic experience at the level of the bare, naked soul. It is actually a sort of gentle transformational experience, not unlike deep meditation. This can happen live or with reproduced music, and with any kind of music you are energetically in tune with. The most basic thing is to get the timbre right, because the emotion of the music is hidden in the nuances of timbral richness and shading. In a sense, music is in the space between the notes. Soundstaging can add to the experience or be superfluous - it's more an individual thing. Your heart speaks the language of truth, in music or in anything else. When you listen, take a little time to listen with your heart, and you will be subtly changed by the experience. I get the impression, Rayd, that you already do this.
Sound-stage, imaging, focus......
I would like to get some facts and opinions about sound-stage, imaging and focus as presented by a system. When I began my system purchasing process, I listened for a sound which came close to a live acoustical performance. For me, that meant instruments sounded real. I was not listening for sound-staging, imaging, etc., because, try as I might, I have not been able to comprehend sound-staging, exact placement of instruments (re: two chairs to the left of the pricipal trumpet), micro-dynamics, etc. at a live performance. That just doesn't happen for me from any position in an auditorium or club. I have never commented after a concert that "the focus and depth were spectacular". Are these descriptions applicable only to reproduced sound or am I missing something?