.....Our brains aren't computers that download digital data, we experience music imperfectly, and uniquely, and I suspect a large part of the satisfaction and appreciation of what we're hearing is psychological.....
You make some excellent points, but it could be counterargued that our brains are biological computers that download pretty accurate analog data from our ears, but then process sound to extract relevant meaning based on thousands of years of evolution. That we therefor experience all sounds imperfectly and that our brains instantaneously and automatically interpret sounds to place them in a rational context based on evolution and prior experience. There is nothing unique about music in this regard.
Our perception of sound is entirely dependent on our brain's drive to make sense of what we hear. Early man had to quickly recognize the sound of a growling bear was dangerous whether in a resonant cave or in an open field. That it was a bear, and its distance and direction were most relevant. The ability to recognize the voice of a friend in all environments regardless of frequency response accuracy and S/N ratio is what matters. So, that is what our biological computer focuses on and less important data it immediately discards.
I am not sure what role music plays in man's evolutionary journey but am convinced it plays an important role. Musical engagement does not seem to depend on the quality of the performers or resolution of the playback mechanism. Only a tiny subset of music lovers, audiophiles, focus on that.
This supports your major point, that music perception is psychological. It disputes only that music is unique as compared to other sounds in this regard. Acceptance that
the ear/brain system is a meaning engine, not an accuracy engine explains a lot about why subjective reviews of audio gear and the concepts of burn in or "tube sound" are unavoidably unreliable. It also explains part of why the psychological and ritual parts of the vinyl experience are far more important to us than its actual fidelity.