How does sound influence your appreciation?

A significant and underappreciated factor is psychoacoustics. We listen to different types of music depending on the mood we are in (knowingly or unknowingly). We approach music differently as well: sometimes anything sounds just great, sometimes we find something to nitpick with anything we play. That is all regardless of system/SQ. The different sound impressions have more to do with my state of mind than the gear.
I have noticed that with better systems, new aspects of the same recording are coming through. Usually with music I already like, such as post-punk/avantgarde (and also some punk) and those records may not be considered "audiophile". I have been surprised more than once by the sophisticated recordings by such "unsophisticated" music.

I have also trained myself to instantaneously switch from analytical listening to appreciation listening. I like to write music "reviews", particularly of newly released music, where it helps to quickly switch between those two modes. At one point I listen to the frequency of syncopated beats in relationship to long line elements and measure break, mode changes and chords employed, then just listen how the ensemble washes over me. With classical (mainly baroque music for me), I listen for trills starting at top or bottom, what kind of trills/ornaments, intensity of messa di voce, and type of bowing used (I am an amateur viola d'amorist), and then just listen for the how it all comes together.

Continue enjoying your music!

@immatthewj

The body of the text explains it all.

How does sound influence your appreciation?

I now seem to like every interpretation I hear regardless of differences, due to the great sound. I’m losing my discernment because the sound is so much a part of the equation. This is more true of orchestral music than other types.

How about you?

Weren’t people answering your question(s)?

How can any audiophile not discern, appreciate sound quality of their systems. I doubt its possible for us to listen without at least some part of our minds appreciating the sound quality vs just listening in music appreciation mode.

I'd suggest the pure music appreciation mode could be easier to enter with lesser systems as critical listening may bring about dissatisfaction, to avoid that unhappy state of mind we force ourselves into music appreciation mode. Devoid this  mind trick we'd quit the entire pursuit.

As my system has improved I'm no longer critical of my sound, rather I'm admiring it. And yes, I do often enter pure musical enjoyment mode, but then along comes something I've not heard previously, ever increasing levels of resolution means the presentation has changed in some way, this stimulus results in my mind going into critical listening mode, but rather than being dissatisfied with sound quality, I'm admiring sound quality.

@rvpiano admits to this very thing, he's admiring the sound rather than the performance. Thing is why should this be bothersome, isn't this in fact the holy grail for what we audiophiles seek.

Good sounding system is appreciated without musicality it won’t connect to the listener. 

It could be that a bad sounding system leaves only the musicianship to be appreciated, so it differentiates more than a good sounding system, which also reveals the pleasing sound qualities of the instruments, voices, and the concert hall. Bad sounding systems leave bad musicians no place to hide.