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Using Bad Recording to Evaluate a System

Once I went to a dealer to audition a speaker, brought a few CD's. One of them was a CD of a group I like but has rather low quality recording.
Well, I put that CD in and cued up a track, and when the music ended the dealer asked why I was using such a horrible sounding recording to audition. (I think he looked kinda slightly pissed. Maybe because the music sounded shrill and irritating the whole time???)
Yeah, why?
Here's what I think: an audio system should make listening the music a pleasant experience. The better your system can reproduce, the more enjoyment you get regardless of recording quality. Saying that 'my system is so good I can only play my audiophile discs' is basically saying something is wrong with my system. Yes, nowadays I tend to play my 'audiophile' CDs much more than regular ones, but that's because of the music AND the excellent recording quality, but when I play my regular or lower recording quality CD's, I find that, although the shortcomings are more obvious, my system can reproduce the music as an enjoyable presentation, and I enjoy it more than when I used to in prev. lower-res/quality/musicality systems.
yr44
Post removed 
yr44 OP
57 posts
 
Onemug,

Yep, I brought all kinds of CD's, all I was very familiar with and listened in multiple environments.

Racarlson, you articulated it better than I did! :)
I *do* hear the flaws as resolution increases, but the enjoyment, IMHO, with a really excellent system, is still there, not thrown out the window (together with your money). But maybe that's just me.
robm321
932 posts
 
I agree with Chadnlz. You can't have it both ways. I go for the warts and all approach.

But it is a choice some would rather have a less revealing system that glosses over the harsh recordings.

It's a matter of choice. Choose your poison.
siliab
362 posts
 
I can not see the utility of building a system that only sounds good with a minimal number of recordings. Sure, its fantastic when great music is recorded supremely well but that doesn't happen all that frequently. I need a system that can make me shake it with less than exalted material. Yr44, I'm with you. I would take whatever music I like for auditioning, and ask the dealer to keep his opinions on the suitability of the recordings to himself.
squirrel
18 posts
 
Question on this subject from a newbie who is thinking of getting into vinyl. Is vinyl less prone to bad recordings than digital? Or is a bad recording a function of what happens in the studio?

Thanks.
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