Quality system, make poor recordings sound better?

good point mapman . noise and distortion is a sound quality killer on any system

Also, one really needs to be a music lover. A music lover loves all kinds of music and will listen to almost anything at least once. That's me.

If you are not a music lover, there may still be good reasons to bother with any of this stuff, but not any that would pertain to me.

Home audio is the only place where the amateurs believe they know what works better than the pros. Go figure.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/ambackissues/atc.htm

read this review and take note of the last paragraph about less than stellar recordings sounding great

IMO, the ultimate goal is to find a combination of components that allows one to enjoy as many discs as possible, price be damned. Those of us who have been in this hobby long enough know this!