What are your "reference" CDs?

Sting and Eagles as well are all drastically compressed but if you like it you listen despite the quality of recordings.

Sting on vinyl sounds far a-lot better. Later digital remasters if such exist might sound much more better.

I personally loved Sting within the Police period. The later he goes the worse and the more pop his albums are.

Robert Cray "Sweet Potato Pie", Bocelli "Romanza", Clapton "Unplugged", Natalie Merchant "Tigerlilly".

Lucinda Williams "Car wheels on a gravel road"
Miles Davis of course "Kind of blue"
Karrin Allyson "Remembering John Coltrane"

Marakanetz: I still listen to Sting, I am just disappointed at the quality of the mix. When I upgraded to my newest system, I expected to really enjoy his recordings (considering the musicians and the money available for his projects) but found that they are sonically disappointing. They sound great in my car, with typical auto stereo eq settings, but in the house they're very compressed.

JD

Janis Ian, "Breaking Silence"
Keb Mo, "Keb Mo"
Catie Curtis, any of her discs
Bonnie Raitt, almost any newer disc
Lyle Lovett, "Joshua Judges Ruth"
Joni Mitchell, all of her remastered CDs