Some CDs are indeed produced badly. Bad production can happen in the studio, when dynamic range is erased to produce a hot recording... and it can happen at the mastering plant, when the digital nasties creep in.
I have just been getting to know Dolly Partons The Grass is Blue; what a superb performance, and from every musician in the band as well. Not a dud riff. But the extreme top end is steely and Miss Partons voice has a zing on the high notes and even a bit of edge lower down sometimes. I can live with it for the feeling and the mastery in the voice and instrumentssuch performances dont come along every daybut gee whiz Maam, I bet the master didnt leave the studio like that.
Now you can tell the performance is great even on an ordinary player. On my best setup, there is more emotion and the songs touch me more easily. But there is not one of my players that can take away the digital artifacts that were put there somewhere in the process of getting the disc to me, and I suspect the pressing plant.
I have just been getting to know Dolly Partons The Grass is Blue; what a superb performance, and from every musician in the band as well. Not a dud riff. But the extreme top end is steely and Miss Partons voice has a zing on the high notes and even a bit of edge lower down sometimes. I can live with it for the feeling and the mastery in the voice and instrumentssuch performances dont come along every daybut gee whiz Maam, I bet the master didnt leave the studio like that.
Now you can tell the performance is great even on an ordinary player. On my best setup, there is more emotion and the songs touch me more easily. But there is not one of my players that can take away the digital artifacts that were put there somewhere in the process of getting the disc to me, and I suspect the pressing plant.