Oh no, say it ain't so.

What is inherently better about loving music over gear?

Is it not like loving cruelty over kindness or loving sociopaths rather than saints?

The people who like to chant, "It's about the music" need to put their keyboards away and go listen to music rather than insisting on a dumb platitude.

@superblueapm 

my new system has me branching out to so much more music than I had been listening to.  And back to stuff, I once loved. 

Perfect! This is me, too. 

Paying attention to sound leads one to more music, and vice-versa.

Imagine someone saying, "Don't learn about the biology of a rose. It won't look as beautiful afterwards."

Phooey. The "why" of things can make the "what" of things more beautiful. It's the classic false-dilemma exploded by Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.