I belong to a group on Facebook that focuses on audiophile recordings. Members suggest recordings that have terrific sound. When I first joined the group, I bought several recordings based on the suggestions. Maybe it wasn’t the genre I usually listen to, but I wanted to hear the sound they were so excited about. I did hear what they heard that prompted their suggestion, but I wasn’t crazy about the music. This made me realize that, while I do enjoy good work on the sound board, I enjoy what is being played by the artists more. There is nothing better for me than to have that great mix of good music and good engineering. Steely Dan is a band I have always listened to, but usually in the car or as background music. Now that I have a decent system and take time to really listen to recordings, I find that Don Fagan has a great feel for what sounds good in a recording. I listen to Steely Dan more now than ever because they hit the right mix of great music and great engineering. Dire Staits is another one, Mark Knopfler knows what sounds good. I love how he has instruments playing far off in the distance and off to the sides and how that sound adds to the feel he wanted in the recording. To sum it up, 98% I listen for the music, if the engineering is there, it is especially sweet. I do take time to listen to recordings for the SQ, Metallic Orbs comes to mind, but only 2% of the time.
