Living in the AZ desert it's amazing how far sound carries--i can hear someone blasting music over a mile away so i figure they can hear me too--but the OP s right about how good music can sound outdoors where standing waves are gone--the good thing about desert listening is that you can listen at low volumes and still get enough impact to enjoy. The other benefit---so many old folks in the desert that their hearing is gone--i've accidentally blasted music (ok maybe not accidentally) and asked my immediate neighbors about it the next day and often gotten "never heard a thing"--but i didn't ask everyone within a 1 miles radius...
The magic of outdoor listening
I tend to keep one system I can pull outdoors when I am in the mood the freedom from room colorations is an amazing thing. Being outside listening to a great system playing wonderful music is magic. I have a bike race by my home and if the weather is nice many times I'm out jamming I have had large groups of cyclists stop 50 yards from my home to enjoy my music. Last year I has using a giant pair of RCA front horns with a full range in it this year going with a community leviathan system with radial. I pull out a tube amp when I jam outside. When I retire I plan on putting out a permanent outdoor horn system so it is ready to go when I am. Sitting still seated centered in a room all alone is enjoyable at times but also kind of tragic I am happy I have options. Maybe consider the outdoors as one of your listening spaces.