Are most recordings so bad it's not worth spending large on speakers?

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Define bad.

I think there are meaningful differences even with older or less than perfectly recorded albums/streams. You will still hear things more clearly.

If you want to go from, say $7k to $14k for a pair of speakers is up to you. You should listen to some music you like and see if you think it is worth it. It is also probably a good idea to make sure the system as a whole is balanced. I would for example probably not buy $14k speakers to a $1k amp unless I intended to change that soon after.

If you are going down in price you can also try some of the new active speakers like Dutch & Dutch or Kii Three that have almost everything in the speaker and just needs a streamer or similar to play.

Even some old active speakers might surprise.

BAD:

1.  of poor quality or a low standard.

2.   not such as to be hoped for or desired; unpleasant or unwelcome.

3.  sucks <== audiophile specific def