Yes. I see your point. For myself, we (you and I) go about the listening from totally different directions. I can hear each of the songs that you have mentioned playing in my head as I read them. Conversely, I am a “music explorer”. I am not at all interested in pop music and write a music blog where I review a newly released album each day (for about 15 years now). Many of the releases that are sent to me from around the world by record companies and promoters sound reminiscent of (if not exactly like) something that I have heard done many times over my life. For the most part, they get average reviews. I listen to 2-3 new (to me) albums of my choice each night before going to bed. I am looking for a new experience on each releases rather than familiarity. I have more records and cds and digital copies of things that I enjoy than a person could understand. Different music for different moods. Some genre just to be streamed in my car. I don’t typically go to my library and think… I want to listen to Miles (sometimes I do) but I want to hear some hard bop or classical or euro jazz or avant garde. I look on the shelf where that genre is and think, I haven’t heard that in a long time and then enjoy a road not recently traveled. I may remember in my mind with fond familiarity but I likely can’t whistle the melody.
I’ll compare it to why I decided against a vacation home in the san juans. When many of my friends vacation, they go to their second home of cabin which is a few hour drive or a 6 hr plane flight. They enjoy the familiarity of home away from home. After a year of looking, I decided to move my actual home itself to an area that was more vacation like and explorable, understanding that my personality… that I like new adventures. On vacation, I like going someplace that is less familiar. I like going different places all the time. It is more pleasurable to me.
People are just wired differently. That is my take on why people listen to music because it is better recorded… with the caveat, not “Just” because it is better recorded. Unless from a technical observation perspective
I recognize that I am different. I think differently. I like different things. I don’t try to convince anyone that my way of thinking would be better for them. I agree with you that dsd 256 is a low priority (especially when main stream artists release in that format).
So I guess I responded to your comment:
have never understood why someone would listen to any genre of music or a specific recording just because it was recorded well
I’m not certain most people do exactly what you are suggesting, but I was commenting why I personally explore other genre of music knowing it is more carefully recorded. The answer is to see what I’m missing… sometimes the answer is absolutely nothing.
I have listened to demo tracks and technical recordings to hear the limits of my system, but I have a hard time doing that for pleasure. This technical listening happens often when a system is demoed. I did this at D’Agostino factory showroom just a few months ago. Some of the tracks played sounded pretty remarkable considering the amount of room treatments etc weren’t there, but the music itself wasn’t very interesting so I definitely get your comment.