Just this weekend listening to Goldberg Variations by artist I can't even recall sound quality so dead. Then I went to Glenn Gould, music brought to life, sound quality just so much better! Producers wanted to eliminate his humming, Glenn refused, based on sound quality grounds, at least in some measure, he was totally right!
With large symphonic pieces can't listen to recordings with macro dynamics quashed. In these recordings lower level sections nice dynamics, micro and macro, crescendo hits, there goes all the life. And this not a system defect, since the best recordings don't have nearly as much of this.
I actually think I'm more critical of classical recordings than every other genre. Must have something to do with aural memory of live classical music concerts, hearing crescendos with no dynamic limitations plays large role in emotional involvement. The sheer volume and impact of orchestra in full throttle tutti is unforgettable!