I'm into this for the music.  But, since I love music and its sounds, I'm always trying to improve those sounds to enjoy the music more.

Everything is relative, of course.  At the time the earlier composers didn't have the advantages of certain instruments, they were happy eliciting the best of what was available, the sounds produced by those more primitive instruments.  They were not interested in the sounds per se, but in the music possible through those sounds.

Non-live listeners have always had that technological limitation, whether it was monaural radio or more rude playback systems, whether the sound was accompanied by friction noises or other gross disturbances, they enjoyed it the best they could.

Today we enjoy more of the live playing sound experience in our playback systems thanks to that evolution.  Still, we face fidelity barriers but we are happy with what we have, so long as it is close enough to what the available possibilities are (our references).

So, in this evolving music playback journey, the sound resembles more and more the real thing.  Not different from other human endeavors, masses get more access to what used to be the exclusive privilege of the very few (enjoyment from 'good' live music).

Like in everything else, there are no absolutes in playback music sound perception, just a relative reflection of our own evolving acquired references.  This is what keeps us on the quest for that slightly better sounding piece of music we like, just to enjoy it more.

Maybe a big inducer to this process is being the kind of people with that slightly special affinity/sensitivity to music, relative to the majority.  If you enjoy a cello sonata, that audio system better not betray those timbres and the subtle and compelling rasp of the bow over the strings.  You may not require that level of playback precision from metallic rock, maybe?

I hope this makes sense to all.  If not, don't flame me  

Donnie,

Music brings me peace of mind.  I respect passion and the quest for understanding.  Decware (staff and customers) seems to be both and for that I am thankful.  

JD

I'm in it for the music, I've always loved music, whether it was my mother's father playing his banjo and organ, my father's mother playing the piano and organ, the music in church (I'm a preacher's kid, so there's lots of church in my experience), the sound of my father's records on his Dynaco system, the sound of the Philly soul on the neighborhood radios, music was a big part of my childhood.

And I like to play music, and I like to collect music, and explore recordings. I love to consider how music is of its time, and also can be timeless. It's a language in my brain and it has been a great connecting medium for me with other souls who I have bonded with.

I also like the reproduction of music and discovering little things through different tubes, cables, isolation components, power treatment. . . developing the sound and my ear and my mind, it's part of an evolution within my life that I nurture and enjoy deeply.

I'm glad I found Decware fifteen years ago as it's been a real catalyst in the playback aspect of my musical life.

I found myself listening to less and less music even though music had become more accessible than ever due to iPods and such. However, lossy formats and crappy digital systems robbed the soul of music. Now I am listening to digital done right and music is an important part of me life again.

I allways promised myself a decent hifi, but when the Decware phono
settled in I started thinking audiophile and laid out the extra for more
D/ware amps so that the phono could really breathe. I`ll recoup part of
the expense with an eb clearout, but will incur more layouts as  serious
platforms will be required. Ho hum.
I can buy most albums mint through discogs at very reasonable prices,
so digital hasn`t got a hold on me yet, and it`s really got to be one or the other, as equivalent digital would be both arms and legs.
I was though, thinking the other day that new albulms are dta recorded.
When it comes to music I have/had US guitars, use a Mesa amp and have always found US gear to be very "this is what you want, here it is" value. Quality engineering/design/value. Even my old Firebird had a superb sounding cd/radio.  
And no, I`m not going down the back of the Mesa to see whats in there.

What a bunch of passionate people we all are!
We would make an interesting bunch of consumers for some marketing people to research. We are all describing our love of music and high fidelity with such passion and emotion. I bet that the users of Ginsu Knives don't carry on he way that we do.
I also noticed that there is a common thread amongst us of music taking us back to another place in time, remembering something that moved us.
But if you think about it, a recording is just a memory in itself.
My thoughts are getting too deep. Long weekends let me focus on things that I don't normally think about. Sometimes being smart is fun!

Douger, my Torii Mk III also exhibited a significant change after about half a year! What an amp! We're lucky dogs.

Into this because of the musical enjoyment first, and for a long time.
Into equipment because like most here I'm addicted.
I miss my Decware setup (original Sig. Monos) too. It was glorious with my at the time MFA Magus 2A.
May have to do something about it, although I am very happy with my slimmed down modest setup.