Isn't it really about quality of recording?

I have long time friend, guy had first high end audio system I ever had the pleasure to hear, how I became addicted. Anyway, he eventually became audio engineer and now owns a sound reinforcement company. Over time he left audio hobby for the production side of business, great audio equipment morphed into great recording equipment. He's got the best of best of everything, I've been to a number of concerts he provided sound for, by far the best sound quality I've heard at a live show, and I've been to literally thousands of them. The few studio projects he engineered are also best of best. And this work with jazz, reggae, rock, experimental electronica, electronic dance music, many genres. If only all recordings and concerts were done with such care!!! Audiophile production people sure are rare breed, wonder why no audiophile has ever started a school or mentoring program for people wanting to get into audio production, Perhaps too old school a thought when home recording equipment so ubiquitous, and probably who you know rather than particular talents to work in recording studios.

And I've yet to be convinced that ever increasing resolving capabilities are detrimental to recordings of at least low side of mediocre. I play plenty of these quality recordings, some may even label them as poor quality, and they only sound better as the resolution of my system increases. I hear the warts, but the continuing and ever increasing sense of real live performers in listening room far outweighs the warts. And this not some new sensation such that the novelty of newfound resolving capabilities  has blinded me to the warts.

Since I"m solely into streaming these days, vast majority of upgrades in recent years have been in streaming equipment, and believe me, plenty of opportunities with upgradies in streaming. My digital sounds more analog over time so the added resolution has gone hand in hand with a more natural timbre, this makes the lesser recordings sound better on two fronts. I presume this two handed improvement will continue over time which means there would be no downside to increasing resolution. I should add, my system is not coloring or obscuring recordings in the least, my dac uses ESS Sabre 9038 pro chips, many would characterize sabre chip dacs as highly resolving and clinical. I hear the resolution, not the clinical. Point I'm trying to make is my system is not hiding warts.

I believe with the right combination of equipment the vast majority of recordings can be made to sound better with higher resolution. I'd hate to believe a higher resolving system would make more recordings unlistenable, I'd quit trying to evolve my system.

@ghdprentice  I have 27,500 LPs (about 2,000 duplicate operas) mix of classical, jazz, vocal, opera, ethnic, etc.   I also have 7,000 78s.   I am 66, collecting since 3.  I live in Los Angeles area and have had many great stores to purchase from, some collections, some donations and still some good stores although the price of good LPs has inflated whereas CD prices have deflated.  I've never been to Arizona but have purchased 100s of records at record stores in Las Vegas, NYC and throughout CA in the past.

+1 sns

Most recordings are good enough. Don’t blame the recording if it doesn’t sound good to you. It’s probably your system that isn’t set up well (in your room). No matter how much you’ve spent on cables. :)

Genesis - Trespass, is a very good recording. Bowie - Heroes, not so much (but there are good parts). Bowie - Lazarus, great great great!

Thanks for the Purple tip.

To me it’s, to borrow from math and data science, Garbage in, Garbage out. A bad recording will probably sound bad on a good system depending on how resolving it is.

Contrary, I'd say the content is more important than the recording quality.

So you like Elvis, and the recording quality back then was limited by the type of equipment used in the 50s/60s.  No matter what fancy digital mastering techniques, they can only do so much.

And now, your playback equipment is high end enough to bring Elvis "back to life" and appears he's singing in front of you.  That doesn't change the fact the recording was really not up to today's standard, but who cares?  Your toes are tapping!

Enjoy the good music and not worry too much about the logic or technicalities.