Do you listen to equipment or music.

Good point. I think 'listening to the equipment' comes and goes..   
Particularly when one has been buying new equipment!  
For example, I had the same basic setup for eight years, with Magnepan 3.6 speakers, The only changes over those years, were a few new interconnects.  Then I got the bug to maybe buy new speakers. So after thinking I went all out and bought the most expensive I could afford, Magnepan 20.7   
That got me started on a bunch of upgrades. And all the time listening TO THE EQUIPMENT.        
New CD spinner, whole new to me upgrading the duplex, all in even the conditioner internal duplex..     new PC cords   etc...    
Now almost a full year later, A year filled with lots of small upgrades after the two main upgrades: speaker and CD spinner..And finally I am down to just moving power cords around, adjusting the resistors on the speaker midrange. Still. always LISTENING TO THE EQUIPMENT. But close to stopping the nonsense of listening to the equipment, and just getting back to listening JUST to the Music.   
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++      
Now in-between, certainly I was enjoying the music, but also listening to how it sounded, so I could make some adjustments. LOTS of adjustments.   
SO I am getting back to JUST enjoying the music, finally.    
I think one has to occasionally listen to the equipment just to keep up on does it sound as good as it did? OK , But not too often. Seems more like noticing something is off.. What??    
And then like me, buying new stuff. One has to get it set up right. That requires listening to the equipment.     
There are folks who call 'listening to the equipment' a curse (I have!) where one gets stuck endlessly listening to the equipment, judging it, always. That is a problem for some folks. It is possible to stop.  
Then folks who claim they never do..  who somehow magically claim they have never listened to anything but the music. Maybe they have no stereo, and play in a band?? or orchestra??    
"Listening to the equipment' is an insult one audiophile tosses at another. SO it is recognized as a negative. But a necessary one at times.

Newbee's comments +1

I do believe it is necessary to listen to components at certain intervals or when changing out or inserting new pieces into the system.  While I have moved beyond this, I have had times when I did nothing but listen to the equipment.  I listened to the same music repeatedly.  I, frankly, seemed to find more joy in evaluating the system vs. listening to the music.  I am not sure that is wrong if that is what a person wants to do.  I am just pleased to now be regularly listening to the music.  I have even found that doing such has resulted in a broader appreciation of music genres. 

Elizabeth, I am duly impressed, not only with your equipment but your ear for listening that reaches as far as resister adjustment.  You must now be finding joy and amazement in your listening.

I found the best way to return to listening to the music (as opposed to analysing equipment it was being played upon) was by playing those songs I love the best. The songs with the greatest emotional significance to me.

For example, classics like James Taylor's Fire and Rain, Joan Baez's Diamonds and Rust, Nick Drake's Magic, or Joni Mitchell's Answer Me, My Love etc are so enjoyable and compelling that sound quality concerns more or less disappear. These tracks sound great through anything, even a flat screen TV. 

The only time I get a little frustrated with sound quality nowadays is when I'm driving. The system in the car has always sounded a little washed out and lacking dynamics, and the CD player is broke.

So I'm stuck with FM radio with it's crass presenters and endless traffic of bad news interruptions - non stop Brexit waffle. Classic FM is my current favourite because there's more music and less news and talk. It makes many others here in the UK seem Ill mannered.

Even better, once in a while they will play a piece of music so compelling as to forget the poor sound quality in the car - it can happen! I guess if a piece of music really moves you, it can break the audiophile habit of constantly analysing and remind you again why you got into this pastime in the first place.