Music first or sound first?

+1 @layton64 

I listen to my music on my "audiophile" system, on Beyerdynamic 880 headphones, Koss Porta Pro headphones or inexpensive Bluetooth earbuds at the gym. So obviously the music comes first. If I went broke and was only left with my $200 JBL 30x studio monitors I'd still be happy listening to my music. Without enjoyable music the sound is meaningless. 

Form : sound

Function : music 

Perception is not a single thing, but a composite of several independent factors. One is Evaluation, which ranges between Pleasing and Annoying. Musical quality probably relates very much to this component of sound.

However, other factors include Potency and Arousal. Potency is the perceptual quality of strength or robustness, which ranges between Delicate and Robust. The level of Potency of a sound is influenced by the low-frequency content of the source material and the audio system's ability to reproduce it. It is neither good nor bad but, rather, present or absent depending upon the source material. Here, acoustic metrics can access the quality of the reproduced sound.

Arousal is the perceptual quality of intensity. The level of Arousal of a sound is influenced by the dynamics of the source material and the audio system's ability to reproduce it. It, also, is neither good nor bad but, rather, present or absent in relation to the source material. Once again, acoustic metrics can access quality of of the reproduced sound.

Potency and Arousal can't make unpleasant music sound more pleasing, but they can improve the sensory quality of the music. I like the sound of Ducati motorcycles, but I wouldn't call that music. Well...

Sound first. Listening to music on a system that does not accurately reproduce music is horrible. I will not enjoy my favorite music at home if it does not sound Good. If I am in my car, or outside, I am not emersed in the music, but have it on to keep me alert. So when I settle down on the couch to listen to music on my Hi-Fi, it is something exciting and special to me.