Once upon a time I made the very point you make on another forum down the dial - that sitting at any reasonable distance from the performers in any venue there's no ability to pinpoint sounds, to localize individual instruments.

What was rather hilarious was one rejoinder. The person wrote that *because* you can't see the performers when listening to a recording it becomes especially important to insist on "imaging" to assist in "imagining".

Me, I like fidelity better.