Should a good system sound bad with bad recording?

I spent a very interesting morning at a local dealer. He knew I was just looking around while my girlfriend was up the street.
We ended up going through his whole product line. He kept referring to "audiophile' speakers as we listened to the small bookshelf speakers and floorstanders. Nothing could have been more obvious as we switched to the big floorstanding "audiophile" speakers. Instead of just hearing the music, they were so clear you could hear the degradation from burned CD's, etc. etc.
It's a dangerous line to cross.

I don't consider that the "system sounds bad" in the case of a bad recording. It sounds either accurate or not. The more accurate, the more obvious the recording quality flaws.

I agree that this is the "dangerous line to cross" - where you prefer to not listen to music you like because your system "takes no prisoners" with its accuracy. It is for this reason that certain systems or combinations of components are better suited to some types of music than others.

My solution - a second system which is listenable on lesser quality recordings - some tube warmth and less transparency but it serves the type of music I play on it and provides me enjoyment. For its purpose (and those are the critical words) this is a "good system" for me.

It does suck when you play a recording that really is poor and try to plead your case that your gear is only as good as the recording,and it always is a crappy recording your buddy wants to hear when you even get the least bit of interest from a non- Audiophile guy, and it just makes you look like a crazy fool.

hi hens:

given the fact the sound of a recording is unknowable and the sound of each component is unknowable, how can you tell that a component or stereo system is accurate ?

at best you may say that one stereo system is less accurate than another, since, perfection does not exist.

Hi Mr Tennis,

You are right - I should have said "more or less accurate" rather than "accurate or not".

My point is that a system that majors on accuracy will tell it like it is - recording flaws, compression, etc. will be undisguised. I don't think the system will sound "bad" but I do think that that recording might sound more enjoyable on a more forgiving combination.

Hens