SQ vs. Music

Interesting question, isn't it?

Ties into a recent search for a replacement cartridge for my system.  Got down to a few makes/models with some described as having an ability to make older recordings 'sound good', while others that are very neutral and to a point approaching an almost sterility in the reproduction or closer to that as close to what is 'there' as possible.

Reminds me of a friend I had in the 80's who would invite people over to his house and play them back marching band music.  Not just some brief listen . . . . long periods of intense but 'very' realistic marching band music.  He became a bit of aficionado on it, even knew the stories of many top notch bands in North America, but many of us cut back on those visits to his uber-$$$ system regardless of how well things would sound.

Conversely, in college there was a band we all liked live. The songwriter was creative, the musicians impeccable, the energy always stimulating. Album comes out flat. Just doesn't sound good. 30 years later took a date to see them. She says,"why aren't these guys big name, best band I've heard in ages"
Guess I'm saying SQ does it for me, particularly if I'm going to just sit there and focus on the music. Why in the world would we listen to music that doesn't sound good? 

Has someone already used the old adage that audiophile buy music to listen to their gear?

When it is work, almost always it is about SQ, which is probably why when it is pleasure it is pretty much all about the music, unless I perceive their is something wrong with my system, and then that must be addressed until nirvana is reached again.

Having listening to a ton of live music, and music as it is being recorded, though, it has become for me more and more about the performance, and less about "perfection" though I do appreciate a good recording. I have only purchased audiophile media of any sort when I already liked the music, never just for the sake of the SQ. That gets boring really really quick.

I don’t need my good system just to listen to music. I have many ways to do that. But my good system is always the most enjoyable. You guessed why....the sound quality! It’s the only one that sounds like live music and not just recordings  to me.

Just one final word on this subject from me.
 As so many have pointed out, simply put, music IS sound.
 The ear is titillated from wonderful and varied sounds.  But it’s also so much more than that. The psyche and soul somehow get involved in the combination of notes put together by great composers’ minds and performers.  This is the aspect we must not forget about.