1) Ill play not so great recordings of music I like, and Ill usually acclimate to the sound quality or lack of. Usually a couple beers will help that. 2) Ill start off with not so great recordings of music I like then progress to my better quality recordings. Its like an instant upgrade.
Some of this may just be the equipment coming up to ideal operating temperature which does make things sound better. My system takes ~half an hour to get good.
Try this...,
From a "cold" system, listen to a disk and after it is over, go back and listen to the first song again. To me, it always sounds better than the first time (better imaging, less glare).