@Charles7, your comments and those before it lead to the rational conclusion that what we are really talking about is our preferred form of distortion. For some it is the phonograph needle for others it is the dac, Speakers, cable, etc.. I agree with Anthony Cordesman that what we are really missing in these discussions is the pedigree or provenance of the recording. If there was a uniform method of reporting the history of a given recording I think we would be much more involved in discussing those choices rather than the few that are open to us at playback. My experience tells me that those choices make much more difference than those that are most commonly the subject of audio file discussions. A good recording makes even crappy equipment shine.
