Hey Rockadanny,
I would suggest sire that you substitute the word 'better' for the word 'worse' if your cd's/lps are not sounding as they should. I still stick by what I say that 'there is no such thing as a bad recording', obviously there are mediocre/lesser engineered recordings, of which I have a wonderful cd of Albert Ammons/Pete Johnson duets circa 1940?, comparing it to The utterly brilliant 'Wall' by Pink Floyd 1980? would be foolhardy. Both are extremely listenable, and no way would I say the 'boogie boys' cd was bad. All a hi-fi system has to do is give your ears a treat, EVERYTIME you turn it on and be musical with ANY CD/LP your heart desires. There is no such thing either as a 'perfect' system coz no matter how hard you try you are never gonna compete with the Boston Symphony Orchestra or AC/DC in your living room!!!. Everything hi-fi system is a compromise, some are more of a compromise than others.
Ps-being more expensive (or outrageous) doesn't equal quality either.
Happy listening................