The Absolute Sound vs Pleasing Sound

I agree with snilf.  A record (or CD, SACD, DVD-A, stream, etc) is an artifact all to itself.  Not an exact representation of an event. It has it’s own sonic characteristics necessarily different from the event, and must be treated thusly. We play this artifact as a “happening” similar to but not the same as the event.
It may indeed be more enjoyable and sound better to our ears.

As enjoyment and fulfillment is the goal, the music has to come first for me.
When the music comes first, there’s a whole exciting world of variety and discovery available. When the sound is primary, the enjoyment is confined to that somewhat limited parameter, not nearly as meaningful as the world of music.
Approaching a listening session with the goal of sonic titillation can easily be detrimental to really getting into the music.