Has your audio system gotten you into new music?

Absolutely. I will listen to almost anything now just to hear what it sounds like.

I think propensity to listen to otherwise unfamiliar music is a good indicator when things are going right.

For me, the influence of new music has come mostly from two sources-traveling & hearing what other folks are playing (or suggesting). I traveled around the country for many yrs. & listened to the radio for the most part. I had a little tape recorder & would get the name of the song & try & locate the album. Sometimes I was able to track it down, sometimes not.

I think even more influential has been visiting other peoples homes & listening to their music. If something has piqued my interest I write down what I've heard so I can look it up. I will sometimes make a purchase right away.

Having a nice system helps you enjoy your music selection but I would have to say the system in itself didn't open me up for different genres, rather, I'd have to say being more accepting of these different genres over my "favorites" has allowed me to appreciate them.

Absolutely here too. Music genres can be distinguished from one another by the degree to which superior resolution is a requirement for the appreciation of their nuances.

To answer your "title" question, absolutely YES. One of the main reasons I have a music system is to learn and listen to new music, including older music that is new to me.

As long as you don't over tune it to excel for particular genres. I once had the big Tannoys driven by some fine SET amps. They were truly magical with small acoustic ensembles, vocals etc. It was when I throw fusion jazz, hard pop, rock and the likes that they revealed their shortcomings - lacking PRAT, staging, and all. So basically, prioritize and let your music dictate your system - not otherwise. But a resounding Yes, a nicely well balanced set up would definitely widen your music horizon.