Music first or sound first?

The sound of music.

@Larsman   +1.   Looking at the other side,  what good is a great stereo if you don't play music that you like?  

to chose between the two seems silly, they go hand in hand

A synergistic interaction between the two goes on, each driving my desire at different times.

@rvpiano - GREAT QUESTION!

The responses have been quite interesting and entertaining as well. I believe in some ways the sound and music go hand in hand. If you don't like a particular genre of music, I don't believe you'd enjoy it no matter how wonderful a system is. However I don't believe the converse to be 100% true. Someone mentioned listening to music on a transistor radio in their youth... How many times have you turned up the volume on your car radio when a favored song or band started playing, even though your car's system is likely not nearly as good as your home rig? 😉

For my part, as I've improved my system over the years I've found my enjoyment of music has blossomed. Additionally the past few years I've branched out into jazz and classical as well. It's all a fun adventure, eh?

Happy listening.