Compromises (recording quality)

Agree with Albertporter completely...particularly on the issue of distortion, and, next, on the issue of "forgiving" speakers. This is not "dumbing down" a system. In fact, it seems kind of simple (in the end, though getting there is hard work): If a system sounds too bright on most material (but seems to sound great on "audiophile" recordings), there is probably something wrong with the system (and brightness is, of course, one of the most common faults of high end gear). The "audiophile" recordings will still sound great (maybe even better) once you tame the brightness out of the system. It seems to me that, in the end, the most truly natural and neutral system will have about the right tonal balance on most recordings, sound bright on some, and sound dark on others, in roughly the same proportion...sort of an averaging out, tonal-balance-wise. Yet most systems I've heard in the hi-fi shops are too bright. The audiophile recordings can take it (sort of), but the more typical material quickly becomes intolerable to the ear. That's not "accuracy," in my view. (Though it sells, evidently.)

its become my opinion over the last three decades, that if i intended to be both a 'stereo-type' and a music collector, that the thrills each of these hobbies hold, had to be held apart for sanity's sake. Sometimes they meet, but for the most part if you love an artist or a recording that is technically average...it simply is what it is.....by the same token, the best sounding equipment current or future (on a technical level), never lives up to the one you regret getting rid of.....comes with the territory and the beat goes on

Sugar coating should be left in the hands of the recording engineer :).

if one configures a stereo system to minimize errors of inaccuracy, it may be possible to alter the sound of a stereo stereo system to accomodate inferior recordings.

for the majority of one's recordings one would maintain the "virtually" neutral system. for the few "bad" recordings, one could apply the bandaids, and then remove them .

thus one creates the best of both situations, the better quality recordings and the poor recordings, without incurring the wrath of shadorne and the other perfectionists on this forum.