SQ vs. Music

To paraphrase - it's the sound, stupid.
Anyone can play whatever, try to make Amati or Stradivari.

snilf,

First of all I don’t have a piano in my RV. I don’t even have an RV.  Those are my initials, and I am (or was) a pianist.
I agree with your choice, btw, of the Furtwangler Brahms 1st, especially in the Pristine.com pressing. Your point about Mahler is also very well taken: It is so much about the sound.  Which speaks to the question so many have addressed here.  I think I (we) get in trouble when I turn the set on looking for sonic wonders.
Again, as so many have said, if the initial motivation is the song or piece of music, the result is much happier.

always both happening at the same time, they are simultaneous, inseparable acts

i take in the whole sound of the music, the flow, and if there is something specific about the presentation that calls out a particular strength or issue, then i will switch to some ’test tracks’ to confirm or understand better

listening to the music this way, the characteristics of how a system or component inserted affects the presentation will become self evident after some time immersed

Interesting question, isn't it?

Ties into a recent search for a replacement cartridge for my system.  Got down to a few makes/models with some described as having an ability to make older recordings 'sound good', while others that are very neutral and to a point approaching an almost sterility in the reproduction or closer to that as close to what is 'there' as possible.

Reminds me of a friend I had in the 80's who would invite people over to his house and play them back marching band music.  Not just some brief listen . . . . long periods of intense but 'very' realistic marching band music.  He became a bit of aficionado on it, even knew the stories of many top notch bands in North America, but many of us cut back on those visits to his uber-$$$ system regardless of how well things would sound.

Conversely, in college there was a band we all liked live. The songwriter was creative, the musicians impeccable, the energy always stimulating. Album comes out flat. Just doesn't sound good. 30 years later took a date to see them. She says,"why aren't these guys big name, best band I've heard in ages"
Guess I'm saying SQ does it for me, particularly if I'm going to just sit there and focus on the music. Why in the world would we listen to music that doesn't sound good?