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Can a great system make a mediocre recording sound good?

I spend a lot of time searching for well produced recordings as they (of course) sound so good on my system (Hegel 160 + Linn Majik 140 speakers).  I can't tolerate poor sounding recordings - regardless of the quality of the performance itself.   I was at a high end audio store yesterday and the sales person took the position that a really high-end system can make even mediocre recordings sound good.  Agree?

jcs01
tablejockey
3,803 posts
 

A not so good recording stays a not so good recording.

How about this... It will sound  more acceptable in the "better" system.

fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,511 posts
 

Salesmen always spout what moves product.

Most poor recordings that used to sound quite musical to me no longer do, on any of 7 systems. My ears have evolved. Don’t know about you or your sales person.

Still pretty good on a BT portable however.

knotscott
830 posts
 

The best you can hope for is for the system and any given recording to sound like it did when it took place...good, bad, or indifferent.  

artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5
1,917 posts
 

@gregm 

If by mediocrity you mean bad mastering, I beg to differ.

If it is really bad mastering then sure, I agree with you. But how do you know unless its heard and verified by a great system? But even then, I suspect it will still sound better than with a lesser system

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,360 posts
 

Tune your system so it plays 90% of your recordings well. That is the key. If you have a highly critical system, you will only be able to listen to 1% of your collection. Tune your system to satisfy yourself with the music you play. 

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