Good CDs Bad Recording

ahendler....NONE of the early digital recordings sound good to me today on my system. 

Last year I did a major system upgrade, including new speakers.  Though I do enjoy having "audiophile grade" equipment, I am "in it for the music".  So when I've visited dealers to audition equipment, I make sure I bring some CDs from the 80's that I enjoy (some classical, some rock, some jazz).  I found some of the speakers I auditioned were so "un-forgiving" that it was "unpleasant" to listen to these musical gems, and as I told one of the salesmen, when I buy new equipment, I'm not giving up my Beatles, Stones and Springsteen.

Speaking of Springsteen, I have the original "Born to Run" CD (also have the 30th anniversary remaster), that CD told me immediately whether those "un-forgiving" speakers should be struck from my list of new speakers.

So often the audio dealers have these fantastic recordings from obscure artists, the technical quality shows off the equipment, but the music is often so "un-interesting", I'd never sit down and listen to them at home.

"Exit...stage Left" by Rush-catching them at their very best with one of the absolute worst recordings I’ve ever heard. I do not understand how a band with such a meticulous reputation allowed the release this terrible recording, yet they went back and remixed "Vapor Trails". I don't understand it and never will. Has there ever been a halfway plausible explanation for this by anyone in and/or affiliated with the band?

Along these same lines... Pearl Jam's Ten Redux (digitally re-mastered and re-mixed by Brendan O'Brien) is superior to the original produced by Rick Parasher imo. Redux brings more bass / percussion thunder, more detail, and the guitar parts are louder. "Release" in particular is just amazing in the little details. I love it.

Todd Rundgren's 1989 masterpiece "Nearly Human" is nearly unlistenable.  Todd's a hero, but he made some uniquely terrible sounding records IMO.