SQ vs. Music

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.

rv piano -- I might be the only one here who thinks this way but, for me, I don't primarily listen to Mahler because his stuff has the potential of being an audio spectacular. Instead, I listen to Mahler for the tunes, the emotions and the worlds he creates. For me, more than any other composer, Mahler conjures up universes that I find myself living inside of. Universes that I can reach out and touch. I remember putting on a Mahler LP for a makeout session with a girlfriend. It was sometime in the 1970's.  She'd never heard of Mahler and, of course, had never heard his music. She said the same thing. Yeah, I really liked that girl...

edcyn,

I’m 1000% in agreement with you.
As Mahler himself said, his symphonies are “worlds” in themselves.
Mahler can move me like almost no one.
It’s just that he, sensually, creates worlds of his own as well.