Should a good system sound bad with bad recording?

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

We can spend as much as we like on a great rig but it all comes down to the quality of the cd. A great sounding disc as a reference will show who has the best syste. Put a crap recording in anyone's rig and it will sound like crap.

hens and zar:

you are both right. there still is an issue as to how one would describe a "bad" sounding stereo system.

i have yet to see in print a description of a good and bad quality stereo system, other than accurate is good and inaccurate is bad. is it possible that many of us what want a stereo system to sound as close as possible to the correct instrumental timbre--as we remember it, regardless of accuracy considerations ?

is it possible that many of us ...want a stereo system to sound as close as possible to the correct instrumental timbre--as we remember it, regardless of accuracy considerations

Maybe, ultimately -- but from a hi-end consumer's point of view -- probably not.

It seems that many audiophiles choose one of two schools of sonic illusion (preferences changing with fashion trends of course)
The "Transparency" school: the illusion of the musical instruments being suspended in space before us, clearly delineated. Add a liberal measure of mid bass (often perceived and reported as "bass") and you;re there.

The "Neutral/ musical" school: "warmth" -- i.e. some prominence in the mid/lower mid range -- at the expense of ultimate clarity -- the latter seen as hearing every sound contained in the recording, however trivial or little. This is termed "neutral" because the prominence referred to above should not be due to non-linear distortion products...

IMO, YMMV, etc.