Hey Fred, Check out this
article . It explains a lot about why some newer CDs sound bad. It's very real, and is happening with remasters a lot too. So, the difference in an audiophile recording is that the mix is usually not 'loud', meaning they let the soft spots remain low in the mix. You will pay more for an audiophile recording for a variety of reasons, but mainly because it costs more to hire someone who won't destroy the integrity of the original recording. This whole thing is really sad as it makes people just not want to listen to music as much because it actually hurts their ears.
Zoë
