I would like to say that I always listen to the music first.
However that wouldn’t be true.
Just a few weeks ago I found myself beginning to feel a bit sick listening to the Jam compilation Direction Reaction Creation.
Something felt wrong, despite an apparently nice full sound there was a distinct lack of dynamics, particularly bad on the more punchy tracks such as Start! or Going Underground, Funeral Pyre etc.
I later managed to get hold of a copy of Snap! yet another compilation, but far closer to original vinyl, and all was well again.
Digital compression nowadays seems to be a huge problem with heavy rock as fans of bands such as Motorhead or the Dead Kennedys might testify.
Why anyone would want to deliberately mute the dynamics of music (essentially its life), especially of rock, is disturbing.
If the majority of consumers genuinely prefer that mush, then they need to get to an Hi-Fi dealer and see just what they’re missing.
Who knows, maybe when listening on some weak-assed Walmart system, they might feel that kind of compression is adding some much needed body to the sound?
If so, they’re ruining it for many of us who are not using such systems.
Having said all that I usually can forget about sound quality once the actual listening starts - providing the sound is listenable.
Of course I might never quite stop wanting a little more, I’m a long time recovering audiophile.
