Does it have to sound good for you to like it?

@dogearedaudio:

As a classical music lover, I too would take issue with the notion that it's "just the same music played over and over by different ensembles." 

I meant they all play the Classical repertoire.  I did not mean to imply all performances were equal.

Cheers

As an old rock and roll boomer I mostly enjoy the music even though there are some so so recordings. There are some exceptions of CD's recorded so badly that they are unlistenable. I have a CD of the Who's Who's Next which I love the songs on that is so poor that I cringe if I try to listen to it. I have no idea how they screwed it up so badly. Some of the Dead's soundboard releases also grate on me even though I love the Dead's music because I have better recordings of the same tunes.

Of course what is best is well recorded and well played music. 

Jim S.

There are good to bad recordings, nothing we can do.

Therefore, I choose to avoid the half glass empty- expecting/hoping for high sonics and when unsatisfactory leads to disappointment. Instead, I strive to appreciate when I find great recorded music, grateful when I find it like a successful treasure hunt. Also, there seems to be a lot of current classical recordings being released in high quality sonics- another point for being gratified.

I share frogman's POV, especially as set forth in his 2d paragraph.

FWIW I've found good recordings are nothing much more than validation of the effectiveness of the audio set up I have worked on for many years, i.e. that it fairly represents the contents of my recordings. I find that it does. Could be better or worse, who knows, but it meets my needs. Done! Onto the music. :-)

Yes, you have to make the best of what you have, and recognize that not all recordings are created equal.