Let the best be your guide

It’s possible to strike a balance between resolving and forgiving. It just takes time and effort in matching components, cables, room acoustics. I like an accurate but not analytical system. I want to be able to listen and enjoy a crappy recording of a great performance such as Mahler’s 5th conducted by Bruno Walter (1947) and not have to start looking for a modern better recorded but lesser performance version of it. And when I’m done listening to it, I can play Diana Krall and be amazed by the recording quality and the resolving power of my system. 

And by the way…everything will color the sound - components, cables, room. Don’t chase neutrality - it doesn’t exist.

@audphile1 

Well put!

@rvpiano  

Many Classical recordings from the first few decades of stereo were mixed with following assumptions in mind:

1) Listeners would be using AM Radios 

2) If using a Hi Fi system, speakers would be bookshelf models, in small rooms, with very limited bass potential 

 3) Vinyl would be the source, and dynamic range, particularly bass, needed constriction due to groove spacing issues.

  It was interesting to see the return of intentionally bad mastering reoccur in the 21st century, as the assumption was that listeners would be using iPods with free earbuds

@mahler123 

How true.

@rvpiano 

I just posted to your records and CDs thread

This one is connected and so relevant to my day.  I upgraded speakers a few days ago.  My previous were so consistent where most everything sounded good.  My new ones are much more revealing.  Some albums blow me away and some piss me off that I have listened to 100 times and now can't stand.  I am at a crossroads where I am not sure if I can accept these lesser recordings to relish in the others.  Damn this audiophile curse lol