Musician vs. audiophile

@johnk + 1!

Very interesting topic.  Props to the OP. 
Frogman said:

The degree to which the sound of even our most sophisticated stereo systems deviates from the purity of sound in live unprocessed (or minimally so) music is typically and seriously underestimated by most audiophiles. Musicians who are around the unadulterated purity of live music on a daily basis and who, as charles1dad points out, have that sound engrained in their aural point of view are much more prone to be dismissive of ANY equipment since the flaws are heard so readily.

Stringreen said:

most of my professors had crappy portable players. When I asked them if they had better at home....they all said that whatever is missing they insert the necessary sounds.

bdp24 said:

whatever his "flip-down" record changer (!) didn't reproduce, his mind filled in. And that was perfectly acceptable to him. Not all of us possess that ability!

+1000!!!  I am not a musician and my 65 y.o. ears have significant deficits due to too much R&R "in my yout".  Yet I could immediately tell live music vs. reproduction over the crowd noise and echoing acoustic halfway up a staircase in Grand Central Station or as I opened the car door in the street with a live jazz guitarist playing through a small amp in a friend's back yard.  And then of course, as several have noted, we ALL have our prejudices about what we listen for and what is most important to us.  

To the OP, have you talked about what she finds appealing about one or off-putting about the other?  I imagine it would depend on what instrument(s) and what type of music a musician plays most.  I would guess that a percussionist would find PRAT and bass response to be very important while a pianist might be most influenced by attack, sustain, decay which they can all modulate, and also even response across the spectrum as their instrument covers such a wide range. 

Working musicians likely can't afford Wilsons…so there's that. I work with various musicians in my live sound mixer sideline, and have known plenty of 'em as I've been a professional musician for over 5 decades, and I'm not deaf…yet…most don't involve themselves too much in high end audio (although there are serious exceptions here and there) for reasons explained elsewhere, nor do musicians necessarily hear things better than anyone else…they may simply hear things differently relative to what they do. I've known amazing instrumentalists who have told me they rarely listen to the style of music or the instrument they play (cool and interesting) and others who listen to nothing else. Like people in general, generalizations don't work generally.

I seriously doubt ANY musician or audiophile thinks he’s deaf. That’s what makes this whole thing so interesting, doncha think? 😛 Just out of curiosity, do orchestra musicians or any musicians wear ear plugs whilst playing?

I have to assume that you are being facetious and striving for humor; I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt anyway.  Surely, you must understand that if musicians were all deaf they could not make the beautiful music and sounds that they do.  Re earplugs:  of course, in situations that call for them due to high SPL’s.  Many orchestral players who sit in close proximity to brass and percussion wear custom plugs for certain passages in the music that ramp down volume without altering tonal balance much.