How much is about the recording

It all starts with the recording, and the quality of the recording. I listen to a wide range of music.  I like the Mozart Piano Concertos on Archiv LP's and discs (although the LP's are better).  I also liked Adele 21, but I don't think a good recording of that release exists.  So, while I like the songs, I hardly ever listen to the album because it sounds so crappy.  Then, there's recordings (LP's and CD's) that are recorded too hot, and they sound harsh.  Or, they are recorded too cold and sound dead.

But, when you find a great recording of music that you love, and you have a good system-- well, that's as good as it gets.

I've posted this before, but I asked the question: Can you hear the noise suppression pump in and out on Diana Krall's "Garden in the Rain"? I got few responses, which meant most people don't hear that. It's easily heard on my reference systems but not to the point of ruining the song...darn close though. That's how I know I'm there (at least one of my tools).

Aside from the obvious good attitude of enjoying the music, i agree that the recording itself is the single biggest contributor to quality.  Want proof? Listen to a mid-60s Verve or Mercury recording transferred to regular, old 16/44 CD. On a really good system they are glorious.  Vastly better than most 24/192/blah blah

Justme

That is easy. It depends.

As my system has evolved over the decades. I have occasionally made a turn where it was towards a bit too revealing and emphasized the recording more pushing too many recordings over the edge and subtracted from their appeal. My objective is to have a detailed but rewarding and enjoyable system to listen to. I learned that too revealing is a really bad thing. [a word about revealing: one could spend a lot of time talking about what that means; let’s not].

I really want to enjoy the music. I can’t tell you how many times I have exited an audio store with my ears violated by systems so laced with ridiculous detail and high frequency distortion I thought I was getting a root canal. It is so easy to have one’s analytical skills kick in and focus on how fine a detail you can resolve and the slam and not notice the sound is terrible. This is so endemic it is unreal to me.

Most would say it is about the music… but I think a large portion get caught up in details and slam. The reason companies like Audio Research and Conrad Johnson and a number of others is they have not lost their way in pursuing great musical reproduction and veared off providing details and slam at any cost, or “clean” sound striped of emotional connection.

Tomcarr and tooblue, for comparison, would you mind providing a few examples of recordings you have that fall into each of your A, B, C, and D categories. Don’t know what you listen to, but if you could pick a few examples of recordings that are fairly commonplace, and many of us might be likely to have, that might be helpful. For myself that would be among other things ’50’s-70’s jazz (Charlie Parker through to Weather Report) and rock ’n roll from the 60’s-70’s (Bill Haley and the Comets through to the Sex Pistols). Thanks,

Mike