"How in the world does one know how to assess a system accurately?"
That is precisely the intention of my initial post Jdaniel.
At what point do we say......."This recording is poor, sounds awful on my system and I never want to play it again?"
That 'point' can only be, when we are self-confident enough in our own system's ability to eliminate distortions throughout the chain.
I was physically unable to sit and listen to the finale of the Reiner 'Pines' even with my Raven AC-3, Copperhead/DV1s, DaVinci 12" Grandezza/ZYX Universe until I had eliminated the micro distortions created by tiny errors of cartridge/arm geometry.
If you are able to physically listen to that finale on your system at high listening levels, I'd say your system was doing well.
As for the question on assessing a system accurately?.... playing those 'difficult' records will objectively tell you if something is wrong whilst listening to the 'great-sounding' discs may not?
That is precisely the intention of my initial post Jdaniel.
At what point do we say......."This recording is poor, sounds awful on my system and I never want to play it again?"
That 'point' can only be, when we are self-confident enough in our own system's ability to eliminate distortions throughout the chain.
I was physically unable to sit and listen to the finale of the Reiner 'Pines' even with my Raven AC-3, Copperhead/DV1s, DaVinci 12" Grandezza/ZYX Universe until I had eliminated the micro distortions created by tiny errors of cartridge/arm geometry.
If you are able to physically listen to that finale on your system at high listening levels, I'd say your system was doing well.
As for the question on assessing a system accurately?.... playing those 'difficult' records will objectively tell you if something is wrong whilst listening to the 'great-sounding' discs may not?