Now I get it...

Funny sometimes it's your speakers connection came lose.People set up there stuff and forget about it....I may not be the pressing ,or your speakers, just a connection. It happens.

Welcome to the ever widening rabbit hole of audio bliss!

It gets dark in there.......

However to be serious......

I would tend to agree with Lewm that nothing I play truly makes me want to rip the offending record off the platter due to its SQ.

What I would say is my state of affairs right now is.....

The poor recordings sound ok, sometimes can grate in areas but generally more than acceptable to still be enjoyable.

But the good and great recordings?
These just sing with all the good attributes highlighted in sonic bliss.

Now I used to buy all sorts from bargain bins and sure there was some gems but a fair amount of dross to accompany it.

My advice would be to look for good original first pressings, white label promo and some MFSL albums.

I generally search using nothing lower than EX,NM and M record gradings now as most people's VG+ just about make my G+ grading.

Above all......have fun!

I am definitely experiencing the same newbie bliss as you.  I have been listening to records my whole life (I'm 55) and after 40+ years I finally put together a great system. I bought a VPI Super Prime Scout from Upscale with a Soundsmith Othello cart, and found a Threshold NS10 and Parasound HCA-800II for a really good deals.  I topped it off with a vintage pair of Snell J3's.   I mean wow.  Like you, I finally get it.  Now get a copy of Hugh Masekala "Hope" and be ready for the neck hairs raising and the tears of joy from such great sound.  I am a musician (Trumpet and Drums) and a have done quite a bit of home recording and mastering. I never really paid much attention to the end user aspect. Now I am more the end user.  I get it.  I am fully inside the rabbit hole. Just bought a Soundsmith Zephyr MK III cart to replace my Othello, though honestly I'm not sure my system can sound any better than it does now.  Here's to the Rabbit hole. Cheers

Thank you everyone!  Glad I’m not alone in the rabbit hole.