Isn't it really about quality of recording?

@erik_squires you know, your comment succinctly explains alot of those bang-head-on-table discussions we've all had with colleagues that we seem to just not "get".  It also explains much about all of the types of contributors here and their viewpoints.  Not any wrong but something to keep in mind.  We all actually don't hear things the same (way).

A great recording of lame music is unlistenable. Great music is great even if it's an older mono mix or something done to a standard that didn't exist yet.  A great sounding system with interesting, well recorded music is ideal.  Also, a great system will reveal mediocre recording quality and that's as it should be, not so much making crap sound good....hi fidelity is revealing.

Back in the day, I remember listening to a system in my local audio store. It was back when CDs were coming on the scene. Anyway, the salesman was playing Flim and the BBs, "Tricycle." I was blown away by this recording. I was so impressed that I bought a copy for myself to play on my low-fi SAE receiver through my mid-fi AR speakers. Played on my system, the CD didn't have the slam, dynamics, and sound stage that the system in the stereo shop produced but the CD was still an enjoyable listen time after time after time. Thirty years later, I use that same CD to test systems today. The point being, I learned gorgeously recorded music can make modest systems sound better than usual while making superior systems sound sublime.

A really good system should enhance the enjoyment of all recordings, whether good or bad. I recently pulled out my original 1977 copy of the Jam's debut album In The City, an album I haven't played for years and was pleasantly how much I enjoyed it despite the fact that it's far from the pinnacle of recording quality. Less good recordings may not stack up in terms of many aspects of the audiophile checklist like soundstaging, tonal balance etc. but that doesn't negate the capacity of a good system to reveal what is actually being played by the musicians - which is, to my mind, more important than the other factors.

The OP nails it.