Do Audiophiles really like music?


Or is this more of a hobby where they can over analyze the most minute details and spend more money to "get where they want to be". I have been in this hobby a long time now, and have been around live music for a greater part of my life. I've had a lot of equipment and have heard more systems and tweaks then I'd like to remember. But does any of this allow us to "get closer to the music", the reason we go to such lengths as most would admit. I've discovered the only thing that allows me to get closer to the music is to listen to more of it. Maybe I am growing up, or losing interest in losing even MORE hair over a hobby that's suppose to be enjoyable, but I'd rather listen to music then think of how I can improve my system.

What do you think? I briefly mentioned this in the past, do audiophiles really enjoy music, or is the music just an excuse to get better gear so they can "get closer to the music"?
tireguy
I much prefer pink noise and modulation test tones. No one performs those things live so I have nothing to compare them to and make myself unhappy.

Marco
Reubent answered the question exactly as I see it.
I would like to respond to Bojack. I listen to my system nearly every day but have little inclination to attend live music events. When I do attend concerts it's more about the emotion of the event than about purely listening to music. It is difficult to listen to music with ear plugs in as the sound is delivered at ear splitting levels.
For me, listening to live music and listening to recorded music, especially at home, have very little in common. I have considered myself a music lover who likes to "play" with audio gear for 35 years now. Those who know me think my audio hobby is a bit nutty.
To an audiophile;
Doh, means "surely you hear that these cables give more soundstage"
Ray, is a sound wave
Me, as in which Speaker Is Right For Me?
Far, is a kind of monitor (as opposed to near-field)
So, is what an audiophile says when his friend tells him he bought a bigger amp
La, something that follows So (but audiophiles need to ask a musician to know why)
T, a kind of audio connection that splits the signal
I think that very few would come across this hobby in the first place, to say nothing of then choosing to indulge in it, if they didn't love music. Maybe some of us are eventually swallowed by the beast, when we reach the point that we don't hear music anymore because we're gauging instrument tonality, dynamics, soundstage depth, blah blah blah ad nauseum...
I've always been bad at tweaks and tests of equipment because I'd rather be listening to the music than thinking about the sound. But there is no doubt that I love music more when I hear it reproduced with greater authenticity. I'll not deny the "cool" factor. When somebody comes over to my house and sees the glowing tubes and the turntable, they are always pretty amazed, before even hearing it. (Most of the population is unaware that vinyl is being pressed today, and many don't know what a "tube" is.). And then they hear it, and the jaws drop and eyes bug out, etc. That's pretty fun. (Fyi none of my house guests have been audiophiles.)
So, to sum it up, I'd like to think I do this high end hobby because I want to be able to hear, as accurately as possible, what the intentions of the artist were. An analogy, for me, would be going to an art museum without your glasses, during a daytime power outage. Maybe you would still enjoy the art, but wouldn't you enjoy it a lot more if you could see it clearly, and under good lighting?

Cheers.