How can you tell the quality of the recording?

Uh, it either sounds good and you like it or not maybe?

Most newer CDs on the last 10 -20 years are off good quality I would say.

That doesn't mean you will like the sound nor that most do not have flaws on the grand scale of things. It depends mostly on what you are listening for and what it takes to float your boat. It's a very personal thing. Like most things really....

That's why we have variety in the world. Chocolate vanilla, tutti frutti, all can be good quality but different.

I think I would get bored fast maybe if everything all sounded uniformly perfect. But that's just me....

Audiophiles by nature can be a hard to please bunch, always put off, always looking for flaws, always seeking better, etc.

Quality is a hard thing to quantify as we all learned reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and it's pursuit might even have some negative effects on one's psyche if not careful....

Unsound,

I said 10-20 years, not 30. I agree more early CD recordings were of relatively poor quality. But I think they have improved over time as a whole. There there will always be some % that are inferior to others. That's usually the way things work.

Of course, that's by my assessment of quality. Other's assessments will differ, and few will be the same. Unless there is some objective way of measuring overall quality, good luck determining any absolute truth. Dynamics is just one aspect of a good recording. Others may have an inverse relationship with dynamics, but a tradeoff does not necessarily reduce overall quality.

i'm with ths.

i've spent most of the eve listening to my music server radio station. have not heard a bad recording yet, though i surely like some better than others.

if you go in with a preconception of what you think a recording should sound like you will probably be dissapointed. the guys who made the recording probably had a different idea. if your system can convey that, you have scored.