After a while it’s just sounds.

Since I have no room treatment (my religion doesn’t allow it), I only listen to room refections as I feel those truly represent actual music in a meaningful way.

OP your post do bring something to make me realize during my early years being an audiophile? Yes it’s a learning process , you get good sounds but no music.As you grow in this hobby your listening skills change from loving the sound to switching to loving the music. My opinion is that  Rock is more for sounds than music, classical and jazz is more for music. Though I still listen to rock once a month. I have a system that is good for classical, and my other system is good for jazz , pop and a bit of classical, my Tektons does the rock for me.Once you have good sounds it does not mean it’s musically involving. So the next task is I calibrate my system to sound musically involving.

Rvpiano I like your thread keep on posting.

I don’t know if I will.

It seems my posts touch a nerve in some members

I like listening both ways. Sometimes the music is so good, obsqure and different to me I cant help but listen/hear the system. Other times I'm just hearing the music. I'll slide into both ways on and off during a session.