Play a recording of the same event through speakers that are often cited as imaging well and you have made a subtle transformation. No sound reproducer is perfect, but I find one thing is in common with many of those speakers touted as being good at imaging. They tend to have certain characteristics that make them sound good in one spot but move your head around and it gets phasey.

It's an interesting effect, and I think that's what a whole lot of people are listening for when they talk about imaging. Just a hunch that I've begun to consider as I listen to speakers that produce this effect.