What is Imaging?

Elizabeth,

Since it is difficult to pick out individual voices from a massed choir at a live concert I think this may be difficult to reproduce in a stereo system. Imaging of a single voice, or of a duet, is a different matter. IMO.

Imaging is the ability of your system to convey stable, believable images. Or, as Elizabeth pointed out, a messy one. Either way it's imaging. :-)

All the best,
Nonoise

I would recommend Chesky's Ultimate Demonstration Disk as it gives the meaning of associated terms used in audio and then plays a track to represent each.

11-21-13: Michaelkingdom
So, it is just location and separation, not depth/realism?

Well, doesn't location & separation include depth? if you determine that the artist is in front of the stage or at the back of the stage, you have depth perception, no? Similarly, location also implies soundstage width - the artist could be on the left or the right or the extreme right or extreme left or just right of center, or just left of center, etc. So, you get a perception of width.

Realism comes from the tonal & timbral accuracy of your speakers.
But, not only the speakers but also the electronics play an very important part. And, so does the listening room. It's a tangle web....

Actually you often though not always CAN pick out individual voices in a large choir both live and recorded. Some voices stand out and are more readily identified than others IME. On smaller choral ensembles it is much easier to identify individual voices and their location.