Let the best be your guide

I could not agree more with your assessment. I come from the digital world and I have found that quality recordings are most key for getting good sound. Of course, investing research and often times more money to find better playback DAC and streamers will yield better sound …..but a quality recording and engineered piece of music, album or venue will make your system, modest or refined, sound so much better.

I think the trick is to be able to enjoy great performances where the recording is less than ideal. where the system pulls the good stuff out and allows it to come through even where there are flaws. so much pop/rock/??? is not especially natural or honest....but there can be special things happening. or maybe we have a connection that hits us? and you can still hear the intent and artistry and be drawn into the experience. the system needs to capture all the information and allow our minds to filter what is not musical.

any other approach is missing the music. we can’t narrow our listening to technical perfection.....yet we appreciate it when everything is working.

and sure...there is plenty of all around 'dreck' out there to avoid. just noise. YMMV.

I do have plenty of relatively flawless music that I love, but also enjoy exploring too. and my ears have to be open to be amazed however it happens. my system makes the most of great recordings, but also reveals the deeply obscure magic too. the system should get out of the way of the music.

 I use a Schiit Loki Max to "fix" some recordings...highly recommended.

I use a Mclntosh MQ112 Environmental Equalizer to fix some recordings. Just what the doctor ordered. Love it. 

A bad recording is a bad recording no system, speakers to boot will improve that situation, old age, hearing, or forgiving tolerance might factor though lol. Compare the likes of vintage Rolling Stones vinyl to current mastering abilities, might pass in a mediocre car but on a high end revealing system… laughable.