Hifi V.s. The music makers

Czar,

Its not hard to argue that the playback adds an additional circuit, so if quality is same as recorded, then end result degrades X2 that incurred during recording.

The playback has to have some effect on the sound. So may as well be the one that tickles the owners fancy for whatever reason.

If they are engineers or musicians who play Rock, Hip Hop, or other amplified genres, they will have some hearing damage or limitations. In these cases, they are coloring the sound at home with equalizers and such. Also, many in this category will listen using pro-gear at home.

I'll bet that professional classical or traditional jazz musicians do make educated decisions on their choice of audio gear. But I'll wager they are not fanatical or obsessive about getting the absolute sound.

With audiophiles, we love the music and the technology and it's a serious hobby or way of life. Besides, the listener does not have the same setup and equipment as the studio of the original recording, so we make adjustments. And the bottom line is everybody hears differently.

Honestly, I have few issues with most recordings. I'm not saying they are all technically perfect, or necessarily even of high quality, but they are what they are and that is what I want to hear, no matter what. They are technically produced works or art. How they are produced and sound is part of that. In any case, really good material is generally covered by many in many ways over the years, so that produces a lot of options to choose from.

I used to be of the mindset that I liked good sound and hated most recordings. With modern gear, set up well, I find most recordings to have something of interest to offer. That's a good thing when it comes to retaining my interest. I can only listen to even my favorites so many times.

I'd prefer great musician over great recording.
Listening to virtuosos and maestros via cheap system in MP3 format can bring joy as well regardless of recording or playback quality.