Why do mass marketed CD's sound so crappy?

The use of compression is an extremely MAJOR problem. This not only alters the dynamics of the recording, but can also introduce major amounts of smearing with a lack of definition.

Another problem is the fact that some studios are using speakers with very poor frequency response linearity as their point of reference. When mixing down, the engineers have to factor in what they hear in terms of the sonic presentation that they are trying to achieve. The non-linear tonal balance of the speakers definitely alters their perception of the original recording, affecting the end results and presentation of what we hear in our systems. Recordings that were made and mixed down using reference speakers that lack bass end up getting too much bass to compensate for what they heard in the studio. Recordings that were made and mixed down using reference speakers that are bloated end up getting thinned out and lack impact and warmth. Same goes for speakers that are excessively bright or dull, etc...

As far as recordings sounding good on a car stereo, that is the method that Ric Ocasek of the Cars used when mixing. He would listen to the recording through various "beat to death" car speakers and adjust the sound accordingly to what he heard there. Anyone that has heard Ric's work knows that it is actually better than most of what is being reproduced today ( or even back then ), so we can't blame the bad sound on even the low quality of most car speakers. Sean
>

Sean's final point brings to mind the story, I believe true, of a record producer from the 60s who reputedly did the final mix of the records he produced over the telephone, because he was listening through the same speaker you would have in the then prevalent transistor radio. He figured it had to sound good over that medium to sell, and he was right.

They are meant for your car, not your father's listening room. Or for your portable that has no capacity for stereo despite the two speakers and the word 'stereo'. They are meant for your I-pod or computer, even if no disc is present. It is not for people who are not the audience. And the audience has been shrinking, so the labels are scared and conservative. It takes time and care to make a good sounding recording at every step of the day.

By mass marketed do you mean popular, huge sales? I buy quite a few cd's, and think the majority sound at least ok. Of course I favor the more obscure, or lower selling artists like Mark Knopfler, Richard Thompson, or old jazz like Miles or Coltrane. I also have liked most of the re-mastered stuff from the 60's/70's like "Who's Next", "Tommy", Santana, Tull, ACDC, and the Doors. The worst sounding definitely are most of the artists in the current top 40. This doesn't matter to me too much as I hate most of that music anyway. I have heard some in this forum say that "Honkin for Bobo", by Aerosmith is terrible sounding. I agree it is harsh, raw sounding but sounds like almost live R n R to me which is good. The same with Clapton's "From the Cradle", or "Mr. Johnson."

Anyway, to me it sounds good if it comes closer to the live experience, live rock is raw and harsh, not warm. I do always hope for the best sound possible but that is opinion, everyone has one. Just my two cents.