Can Rock-N-Roll have great sound quality?


I need help finding well recorded rock-n-roll. Dire Strait's "Brothers in Arms",Queensryche's "Empire",Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" are good and so are some of Heart's. All Van Halen is really bad, and everybody else is in between. I have Dave Koz's self titled cd and nothing in the rock genre comes close. Please help my 802's.
wilelupine
Yep, a lot of rock is fairly "ill-recorded" indeed.
Now to your 802's, which I've sold for years....this typical audiphile speaker won't be super impressive for rock and heavy dynamics, run the way people typically run them. Running them fulll range in a passive setup, even with big amps won't yield you anywhere near "full dynamic transparancy" and inpact! Basically, hard rock and heavy dynamic stuff will be a little lack luster, soft, and restrained sounding. (many have probably notice this if they ever popped on some Metalica on some audiophile speakers).
Really, speakers with powered sub's, bass mangagment to a powerd sub, highly efficient (like horns and such), and even active speakers are going to beat up on your stock 802's running passively, full range! That's the way it is.
Most of these passive offerings can't deliver the control, slamm, impact, and full dynamic delivery needed to "rock!", if need be. That's another challenge for you.
I like a lot of the rock recordings. I've found that the early cd editions of classic rock were mostly bad, low recorded level and dynamics, however most re-masters sound good to me. Examples are the The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set, the Buffalo Springfield box set, Jethro Tull- "Passion Play", Yes, Stones-hybrids. A friend who has a great system complains that classic rock is too harsh, meaning bad sonics. He likes a warm sound as opposed to bright. I tell him he doesn't like rock music anymore. He argues, but in reality listens to mostly singer songwriter, acoustic based stuff. I submit that ROCK music is mostly harsh! Screaming guitar like Hendrix isn't supposed to sound warm and fuzzy to your ears, but more an assault on the senses.
Try the Gov't Mule CD titled "Dose". It's a combination of southern rock with some jazz hints. Not only is the group very talented and better than 90% of the rock stuff out there, the sonics are excellent including the kick drum and guitars.
Tvad mentioned the word smoking and it reminded me of...
Pick up Humble Pie "Smokin" it has pretty good sound quality for the era , especialy the bass.