When I listen to my system.......

@immatthewj ....for yours unruly, it only made me worse and more demanding of being ’closer to the edge’....

That’s interesting, @asvjerry . Back in those days (and two or three years ago I practically quit drinking, so I guess I’ll include drinking while listening as "those days") I found it easier to relax and let my imagination roam free when I was listening, and therefore I was more forgiving of masterings and recordings than I am now.

Which is not to say that all I listen to now is source material that I, personally, consider to be "audiophile grade," but I do find it difficult to listen to something, for example, that is flat and lifeless or harsh and grainy.

As soon as we turn on our equipment, we are NOT listening to music - we are listening to reproductions of music on our equipment.
 

I listen to music on my system. It’s a recording of artists playing instruments.  Whether it’s a recording or live it’s still music.  Not sure how this would take any enjoyment out of the hobby.  Seems like an irrelevant distinction within the context of how people listen or how they build their systems. 

@ jastralfu

My statement clarifies that recordings are sonic derivatives of music, and NOT music.   The key is that recordings are influenced by the recording/playback process.  Real (i.e. live) music does not suffer from these issues. Consequently, ALL of us care about the efficacy of our systems, not just the "musicianship and the composition" that the OP favors.

I was not not implying that recordings are unemotional, those are your thoughts alone... 

@immatthewj ....! A food means of describing 'the audio experience'......

for example, that is flat and lifeless or harsh and grainy.

...comparisons with various menu marvels....(*sigh* ....I know, I know....

Happens every issue these days.

"This prototype preamp functioned like a stale tuna sandwich....." ;)

@inagroove ...Precisely, much like when film was a series of single images with the sound track added.  One's mind accepted these as smooth moving imagery.

Cut to Now:  In our shared reality, the digital means to 'do' most anything is basically Here.

AV is just one block in a very big and growing; one could conceive of an environment that could simulate an actual situation down to the smell of the space and what it felt like to be 'there'....

....comes down to the same old question...

"What's that worth to you?" *S* ;)

@inagroove there is no requirement on the definition of music that it applies only to live music.  It’s music whether it’s live or recorded.  I do agree that there are differences between the two.  Among them being that the sound of recorded music, that a loudspeaker creates, is a facsimile of the sound created by the actual instrument and is subject to both of the influences you mention and certainly more.