I always take some poorly recorded CD's, too. Some essential music isn't available as a good recording and it is nice to know if new equipment makes it unbearable to listen to. It can infuriate salespeople because they of course frequently stack the deck with their own outstanding demo CD's to make their stuff sound great. The real world isn't as peachy as stereo shops and it is nice to know what you're getting into rather than be unpleasantly surprised after plunking down your dollars.
