Very rare when a recording is deemed absolutely unlistenable. The usual culprit for lesser recordings is micro dynamic compression, clearly heard as recording dependent, since music with great dynamics is reproduced as if real live flesh and blood performers in room. Quashed dynamics brings moret distance from performers, listening to recording rather than performance. Still, I find most of these recordings listenable if I don't ask and/or expect too much from them.
The strangest recordings are those with very different dynamic attributes from one track to another. Just last night listening to Syd Straw, 'War And Peace', harder rocking pieces very compressed, narrow and shallow center image, and then it's like different engineer/producer takes over other tracks, spacious, lifelike. I've heard this same phenomenon on other recordings, makes me wonder what artists/production thinking. Only thing I can imagine is certain tracks mixed precisely for mass market equipment, loudness wars mentality.