Unless you were at the mastering session were the final sound was agreed upon by the artist, producer and mastering engineer, then you have no real knowledge of what a recording sounds like. Even then, you only know what the recording sounds like in the mastering suite played through the mastering system. That being the case, then any music or even non-musically sounds can be used to evaluate any random system. Purist recording techniques are probably best for instrumental timbre, but complex, highly processed recordings can reveal overall frequency response, polarity, soundstage dimensions, imaging specificity, timing, etc.
How can a system be judged with highly processed, non acoustic music?
I basically know what an instrument or human voice sounds like. I understand that almost all recordings, analog or digital, go through some level of processing. I also know that there are many, many recordings which strive to present a natural, real sound. To me, I can best judge a system playing lightly or non processed acoustic music.
This is also my preference for listening in general. And for me, it is vinyl.
This is also my preference for listening in general. And for me, it is vinyl.