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

I like the direct emotional link to the music. One that draws me in and makes me close my eyes and sway. Making most recordings sound great. So, that is the kind of system I put together… it excels balance between all the aspects… detail, bass, tonal balance, imaging, rhythm and pace… etc

@ghdprentice, exactly my sentiments.  My system makes everything sound good.  Shitty recordings sound decent, excellent recordings sound excellent.  This works very well for me because despite the money that I have invested, paradoxically I listen now to a lot of bootlegs from the ‘70’s, which sometimes are good and sometimes not so good.  But my system has just the right balance for me.  I am happy.  And I’d like to put in a plug for the Shunyata Everest, my last acquisition that finished off that sound and depth of stage that I have been looking for.

If it doesn't make my toes tap it is no good to me.  In other words if I don't like the song it doesn't matter how good it sounds I still won't like it.  However when I listen to the stuff I enjoy I want all the musical nuance I can find from my system.

I do a mix of both. There are times I’m listening to how well my stsyem sounds. And  times I’m just listening to music I like. Ideally all the music I grew up with and love would also sound amazing but sadly that’s not the case. Luckily I’ve developed an appreciation of bluesy Jazz, mostly acoustic that also sounds great. But the stuff I grew up with that I have a stronger emotional attachment to tends to be fairly poorly recorded. But sure, I still listen to it often. 

Hi fidelity matters because it lets you fully hear what the artist intended. Therefore, your proposition is false: there is no dichotomy, no contradiction, no one way better than the other. They are the same. 

I have always loved music and have been striving for better sound for fifty plus years. Music plays in my home several hours a day and each day I try sit with my eyes closed and listen for an album or two.