Does Every Track Sound Great on Your System?

IF your system is capable of sounding great on some tracks, bass/mids/highs and not others, it’s the fault of the recording, not your system.

musicians, placement of musicians in a space, specific mics used for individual instruments/voices, proper levels for original recording, all the mess of great/good/bad decisions by the engineers post recording, you are listening to the result of that mixed bag.

When it's great, my friend and I often look at each other and say "these guys knew what they were doing".

I don’t try to adjust anything to improve the track, EXCEPT, I love remote balance

to correct/improve imaging that is there but a bit off for who knows what reason. The more revealing your system becomes, you more readily hear a slight imbalance. A slight tweak of balance can make a surprising amount of improvement, not just the centered singer, but all players across the width of the stage are more distinct, sound and location.

And if you need to improve well recorded albums, you need to improve your listening room and system first.

As does @bigwave1 , I also own a Charter Oak PEQ-1. Two, in fact. One for my headphone chain and one for my big rig. A lot is written about this in Equalizer in a Hi Fi System thread over there. Pages and pages comparing and contrasting digital vs pro analog EQ (like our CO PEQ). Schiit vs other pro analog pieces. It’s a great thread for anyone who wants to deep dive into this subject. I have been using my Charter Oak PEQ-1 for 10 years. I LOVE it. @bigwave1 and I have shared positive experiences with this device. Not all recordings are created the same. A pro analog EQ can really shine up dull recordings. I use mine for old rock records all the time. 

No remote on the Charter Oak makes it an impossibility for my setup. Hence the Loki Max.

I poured my heart and soul into that other thread I mentioned. I’m pretty passionate about the benefits that can be obtained from such devices. Heck, there’s even a guy on that thread who posted about his Manley Massive Passive in his very hi fi rig. Another has the legendary Mark Levinson Cello Palette preamp and EQ. These wonderful pieces of kit can be every bit as high end as any audiophile component.