Beware poor sounding media

Fidelity is always wonderful and always preferred, but if the artist or producer thinks otherwise I try to roll with it.

I view a recording as a work of art not technology.  

No offense intended @rvpiano, but I always wince when I see or hear musical recordings referred to as "media". Am I alone?

You'd have to go back a long time to find a bad recording. Perhaps you are referring to bad post production. It's more likely to be bad reproduction equipment that can't cope, resulting in a harsh sound.

Have you heard the troublesome recordings played back on high end equipment?

Spot on. I've listened to music and suddenly had a pang of concern with the equipment only to realize it was a crap recording.