Recordings are like paintings. The artists...musician, producer, recording engineers are using the tools at their disposal to create their "work of art". There is no guarantee that the artwork is going to be an accurate representation of "live music"...especially acoustic music. Mic placement, mic type, tonal shaping at the mixing console, what kind of instrument...electric or acoustic, mic'd or direct..., the type of preamps, the type of mixing monitors, etc, all have influence on what is put down on the recording, be it analog or digital capture.
BTW...millercarbon...good musicians have excellent ears that can hear changes in pitch, speed, key change, etc. Only a good musician can relate to this from their experience. Do you have this experience?
Recordings of live performances...especially professional, commercial recordings for sale of orchestral or acoustic jazz strive to capture the most accurate representation of what's coming from the stage. Add vocals to the mix and a feed is coming from the mixing board, if not split off at the mic directly to the recording machine.
That all said...the ONLY way to get an accurate representation of the RECORDING is to use the identical playback gear that was used in the recording mixdown studio. Bob Ludwig uses Eggelston Works loudspeakers. Google Bob Ludwig and Bob Clearmountain to find out how they operate.
Most consumers don't like the accurate, "clinical" sound of studio monitors, because the accuracy of the midrange can be fatiguing to the listener. Are true "audiophiles" the same as this? The definitive answer is definitely "maybe". That's what makes audio such an enigmatic industry. People buy what they like...or simply justify what they think is a reasonable amount to spend based on perceived performance...which isn't always determined by the ears.