That’s interesting. I can’t say that sound quality has had much to do with my preference for the way music is played by the musicians. The closest match to that I can think of is that it seems my ear is more forgiving of musicianship when I’m hearing it live than when recorded. I used to play in a youth symphony, and while playing, I thought our orchestra sounded very beautiful. Hearing a recording of it was very embarrassing.
How does sound influence your appreciation?
Since I’ve gotten my system to a very good place, I find myself liking the performance of almost everything I hear. Now in classical music, there are sometimes dozens of performances of the same piece, each performance having its own unique take. I now seem to like every interpretation I hear regardless of differences, due to the great sound. I’m losing my discernment because the sound is so much a part of the equation. This is more true of orchestral music than other types
How about you?