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.